High power efficiency (PE) p-bis(p-N,N-diphenyl-aminostyryl)benzene (DSA-ph) based fluorescent blueorganic light-emitting diode (OLED) is demonstrated by utilizing intermixed host (IH) structure. The PE outperforms those devices based on single host (SH), mixed host (MH), and double emitting layers (DELs). By further optimizing the intermixed layer, peak PE of the IH device is increased up to 8.7 lm/W (1.7 times higher than conventional SH device), which is the highest value among the DSA-ph based blue device reported so far. -- Highlights: • DSA-ph based blue fluorescent OLEDs are fabricated. • The intermixed host structure is first introduced into the blue devices. • Blue device with the highest power efficiency based on DSA-ph is obtained.

Five deep blue carbene-based iridium(III) phosphors were synthesized and characterized. Interestingly, one of them can be fabricated into deep blue, sky blue and white organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) through changing the host materials and exciton blocking layers. These deep and sky blue devices exhibit Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.145, 0.186) and (0.152, 0.277) with external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 15.2% and 9.6%, respectively. The EQE of the deep blue device can be further improved up to 19.0% by choosing a host with suitable energy level of its lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO).

Two blue fluorescent emitters were utilized to construct simplified organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and the remarkable difference in device performance was carefully illustrated. A maximum current efficiency of 4.84 cd A"−"1 (corresponding to a quantum efficiency of 4.29%) with a Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) coordinate of (0.144, 0.127) was achieved by using N,N-diphenyl-4″-(1-phenyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)-[1, 1′:4′, 1″-terphenyl]-4-amine (BBPI) as a non-doped emission layer of the simplified blue OLEDs without carrier-transport layers. In addition, simplified fluorescent/phosphorescent (F/P) hybrid warm white OLEDs without carrier-transport layers were fabricated by utilizing BBPI as (1) the blue emitter and (2) the host of a complementary yellow phosphorescent emitter (PO-01). A maximum current efficiency of 36.8 cd A"−"1 and a maximum power efficiency of 38.6 lm W"−"1 were achieved as a result of efficient energy transfer from the host to the guest and good triplet exciton confinement on the phosphorescent molecules. The blue and white OLEDs are among the most efficient simplified fluorescent blue and F/P hybrid white devices, and their performance is even comparable to that of most previously reported complicated multi-layer devices with carrier-transport layers. (paper)

Phosphorescent emitters are extremely important for efficientorganic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), which attract significant attention. Phosphorescent emitters, which have a high phosphorescence quantum yield at room temperature, typically contain a heavy metal such as iridium and have been reported to emit blue, green and red light. In particular, the blue cyclometalated complexes with high efficiency and high stability are being developed. In this review, we focus on blue cyclometalated complexes. Recent progress of computational analysis necessary to design a cyclometalated complex is introduced. The prediction of the radiative transition is indispensable to get an emissive cyclometalated complex. We summarize four methods to control phosphorescence peak of the cyclometalated complex: (i) substituent effect on ligands, (ii) effects of ancillary ligands on heteroleptic complexes, (iii) design of the ligand skeleton, and (iv) selection of the central metal. It is considered that novel ligand skeletons would be important to achieve both a high efficiency and long lifetime in the blue OLEDs. Moreover, the combination of an emitter and a host is important as well as the emitter itself. According to the dependences on the combination of an emitter and a host, the control of exciton density of the triplet is necessary to achieve both a high efficiency and a long lifetime, because the annihilations of the triplet state cause exciton quenching and material deterioration.

Efficient phosphorescent orange, blue and white organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) with non-doped emissive layers were successfully fabricated. Conventional blue phosphorescent emitters bis [4,6-di-fluorophenyl]-pyridinato-N,C2'] picolinate (Firpic) and Bis(2,4-difluorophenylpyridinato) (Fir6) were adopted to fabricate non-doped blue OLEDs, which exhibited maximum current efficiency of 7.6 and 4.6 cd/A for Firpic and Fir6 based devices, respectively. Non-doped orange OLED was fabricated utilizing the newly reported phosphorescent material iridium (III) (pbi)2Ir(biq), of which manifested maximum current and power efficiency of 8.2 cd/A and 7.8 lm/W. The non-doped white OLEDs were achieved by simply combining Firpic or Fir6 with a 2-nm (pbi)2Ir(biq). The maximum current and power efficiency of the Firpic and (pbi)2Ir(biq) based white OLED were 14.8 cd/A and 17.9 lm/W.

We have demonstrated high-efficiency greenish-blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) based on a dimesitylboryl-functionalized C^N chelate Pt(II) phosphor, Pt(m-Bptrz)(t-Bu-pytrz-Me). Using a high triplet energy platform and optimized double emissive zone device architecture results in greenish-blue PHOLEDs that exhibit an external quantum efficiency of 24.0% and a power efficiency of 55.8 lm/W. This record high performance is comparable with that of the state-of-the-art Ir-based sky-blueorganic light-emitting diodes.

Recently, exciplex had drawn attention because of its potential for efficient electroluminescence or for use as a host in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In this study, four kinds of hole transport material/electron transport material combinations were examined to verify the formation of exciplex and the corresponding energy bandgaps. We successfully demonstrated that the combination of tris(4-carbazoyl-9-ylphenyl)amine (TCTA) and 3,5,3‧,5‧-tetra(m-pyrid-3-yl)phenyl[1,1‧]biphenyl (BP4mPy) could form a stable exciplex emission with an adequate energy gap. Using exciplex as a host in red, green, and blue phosphorescent OLEDs with an identical trilayer architecture enabled effective energy transfer from exciplex to emitters, achieving corresponding efficiencies of 8.8, 14.1, and 15.8%. A maximum efficiency of 11.3% and stable emission was obtained in white OLEDs.

We demonstrate efficient white organic light-emitting devices (WOLEDs) based on an orange phosphorescent iridium complex bis(2-(2-fluorphenyl)-1,3-benzothiozolato-N, C 2' )iridium(acetylacetonate) in combination with blue phosphorescent dye bis[(4, 6-difluorophenyl)-pyridinato-N,C 2 )](picolinato) Ir(III) and red phosphorescent dye bis[1-(phenyl)isoquinoline] iridium (III) acetylanetonate. By introducing a thin layer of 4, 7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline between blue and red emission layers, the diffusion of excitons is confined and white light can be obtained. WOLEDs with the interlayer all have a higher colour rendering index (>82) than the device without it (76). One device has the maximum current efficiency of 17.6 cd A -1 and a maximum luminance of 39 050 cd m -2 . The power efficiency is 8.7 lm W -1 at 100 cd m -2 . Furthermore, the device has good colour stability and the CIE coordinates just change from (0.394, 0.425) to (0.390, 0.426) with the luminance increasing from 630 to 4200 cd m -2 .

Blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices (PhOLEDs) with quantum efficiency close to the theoretical maximum were achieved by utilizing a double-layer architecture. Two wide-triplet-gap materials, 1,3-bis(9-carbazolyl)benzene and 1,3,5-tri[(3-pyridyl)-phen-3-yl]benzene, were employed in the emitting and electron-transport layers respectively. The opposite carrier-transport characteristics of these two materials were leveraged to define the exciton formation zone and thus increase the probability of recombination. The efficiency at practical luminance (100 cd/m{sup 2}) was as high as 20.8%, 47.7 cd/A and 31.2 lm/W, respectively. Furthermore, based on the design concept of this simplified architecture, efficient warmish-white PhOLEDs were developed. Such two-component white organic light-emitting devices exhibited rather stable colors over a wide brightness range and yielded electroluminescence efficiencies of 15.3%, 33.3 cd/A, and 22.7 lm/W in the forward directions.

Blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices (PhOLEDs) with quantum efficiency close to the theoretical maximum were achieved by utilizing a double-layer architecture. Two wide-triplet-gap materials, 1,3-bis(9-carbazolyl)benzene and 1,3,5-tri[(3-pyridyl)-phen-3-yl]benzene, were employed in the emitting and electron-transport layers respectively. The opposite carrier-transport characteristics of these two materials were leveraged to define the exciton formation zone and thus increase the probability of recombination. The efficiency at practical luminance (100 cd/m 2 ) was as high as 20.8%, 47.7 cd/A and 31.2 lm/W, respectively. Furthermore, based on the design concept of this simplified architecture, efficient warmish-white PhOLEDs were developed. Such two-component white organic light-emitting devices exhibited rather stable colors over a wide brightness range and yielded electroluminescence efficiencies of 15.3%, 33.3 cd/A, and 22.7 lm/W in the forward directions.

The quantum efficiency of blue fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes was enhanced by 20% using a pyridine substituted spirofluorene-benzofluorene derivative as an electron transport material. 2',7'-Di(pyridin-3-yl)spiro[benzofluorene-7,9'-fluorene] (SPBP) was synthesized and it was used as the electron transport material to block the hole leakage from the emitting layer. The improvement of the quantum efficiency and power efficiency of the blue fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes using the SPBP was investigated.

We investigated a light emission mechanism of blue phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes (PHOLEDs), using a stepwise doping profile of 2, 8, and 14 wt.% within the emitting layer (EML). We fabricated several blue PHOLEDs with phosphorescent blue emitter iridium(III) bis[(4,6-difluorophenyl)-pyridinato-N,C2]picolinate doped in N,N'-dicarbazolyl-3,5-benzene as a p-type host material. A blue PHOLED with the highest doping concentration as part of the EML close to an electron transporting layer showed a maximum luminous efficiency of 20.74 cd/A, and a maximum external quantum efficiency of 10.52%. This can be explained by effective electron injection through a highly doped EML side. Additionally, a white OLED based on the doping profile was fabricated with two thin red EMLs within a blue EML maintaining a thickness of 30 nm for the entire EML. Keywords: Blue Phosphorescent Organic Light Emitting Diodes, Stepwise Doping Structure, Charge Trapping Effect.

This work demonstrates the fabrication of a bright blueorganic light-emitting diode (BOLED) with good color purity using 4,4'-bis(2,2-diphenylvinyl)-1,1'-biphenyl (DPVBi) and bathocuproine (BCP) as the emitting layer (EML) and the hole-blocking layer (HBL), respectively. Devices were prepared by vacuum deposition on indium tin oxide (ITO)-glass substrates. The thickness of DPVBi used in the OLED has an important effect on color and efficiency. The blue luminescence is maximal at 7670 cd/m{sup 2} when 13 V is applied and the BCP thickness is 2 nm. The CIE coordinate at a luminance of 7670 cd/m{sup 2} is (0.165, 0.173). Furthermore, the current efficiency is maximum at 4.25 cd/A when 9 V is applied.

This work demonstrates the fabrication of a bright blueorganic light-emitting diode (BOLED) with good color purity using 4,4'-bis(2,2-diphenylvinyl)-1,1'-biphenyl (DPVBi) and bathocuproine (BCP) as the emitting layer (EML) and the hole-blocking layer (HBL), respectively. Devices were prepared by vacuum deposition on indium tin oxide (ITO)-glass substrates. The thickness of DPVBi used in the OLED has an important effect on color and efficiency. The blue luminescence is maximal at 7670 cd/m 2 when 13 V is applied and the BCP thickness is 2 nm. The CIE coordinate at a luminance of 7670 cd/m 2 is (0.165, 0.173). Furthermore, the current efficiency is maximum at 4.25 cd/A when 9 V is applied.

We demonstrated efficient and stable white phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with double-emitting layers (D-EMLs), which were comprised of two emissive layers with a hole transport-type host of N,N'-dicarbazolyl-3,5-benzene (mCP) and a electron transport-type host of 2,2',2"-(1,3,5-benzenetryl)tris(1-phenyl)-1H-benzimidazol (TPBi) with blue/orange emitters, respectively. We fabricated two type white devices with single emitting layer (S-EML) and D-EML of orange emitter, maintaining double recombination zone of blue emitter. In addition, the device architecture was developed to confine excitons inside the D-EMLs and to manage triplet excitons by controlling the charge injection. As a result, light-emitting performances of white OLED with D-EMLs were improved and showed the steady CIE coordinates compared to that with S-EML of orange emitter, which demonstrated the maximum luminous efficiency and external quantum efficiency were 21.38 cd/A and 11.09%. It also showed the stable white emission with CIE(x,y) coordinates from (x = 0.36, y = 0.37) at 6 V to (x = 0.33, y = 0.38) at 12 V.

The widely used hole-transporting host 4,4',4″-tris(N-carbazolyl)-triphenylamine (TCTA) blended with either a hole-transporting or an electron-transporting small-molecule material as a mixed-host was investigated in the phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) fabricated by the low-cost solution-process. The performance of the solution-processed OLEDs was found to be very sensitive to the composition of the mixed-host systems. The incorporation of the hole-transporting 1,1-bis[(di-4-tolylamino)phenyl]cyclohexane (TAPC) into TCTA as the mixed-host was demonstrated to greatly reduce the driving voltage and thus enhance the efficiency due to the improvement of hole injection and transport. On the basis of the mixed-host of TCTA:TAPC, we successfully fabricated low driving voltage and high efficiencyblue and white phosphorescent OLEDs. A maximum forward viewing current efficiency of 32.0 cd/A and power efficiency of 25.9 lm/W were obtained in the optimized mixed-host blue OLED, which remained at 29.6 cd/A and 19.1 lm/W at the luminance of 1000 cd/m(2) with a driving voltage as low as 4.9 V. The maximum efficiencies of 37.1 cd/A and 32.1 lm/W were achieved in a single emissive layer white OLED based on the TCTA:TAPC mixed-host. Even at 1000 cd/m(2), the efficiencies still reach 34.2 cd/A and 23.3 lm/W and the driving voltage is only 4.6 V, which is comparable to those reported from the state-of-the-art vacuum-evaporation deposited white OLEDs.

This study used the novel fluorescence based deep-blue-emitting molecule BPVPDA in an organic fluorescent color thin film to exhibit deep blue color with CIE coordinates of (0.13, 0.16). The developed original organic RGB color thin film technology enables the optimization of the distinctive features of an organic light emitting diode (OLED) and thin-film-transistor (TFT) LCD display. The color filter structure maintains the same high resolution to obtain a higher level of brightness in comparison with conventional organic RGB color thin film. The image-processing engine is designed to achieve a sharp text image for a TFT LCD with organic color thin films. The organic color thin films structure uses an organic dye dopant in a limpid photoresist. With this technology, the following characteristics can be obtained: 1. high color reproduction of gamut ratio, and 2. improved luminous efficiency with organic color fluorescent thin film. This performance is among the best results ever reported for a color-filter used on TFT-LCD or OLED.

Organic light emitting devices have been achieved with an indium-free transparent anode, Ga doped ZnO (GZO). A large area coating technique was used (RF magnetron sputtering) to deposit the GZO films onto glass. The respective organic light emitting devices exhibited an operational voltage of 3.7 V, an external quantum efficiency of 17%, and a power efficiency of 39 lm/W at a current density of 1 mA/cm 2 . These parameters are well within acceptable standards for blue OLEDs to generate a white light with high enough brightness for general lighting applications. It is expected that high-efficiency, long-lifetime, large area, and cost-effective white OLEDs can be made with these indium-free anode materials.

A new concept of host, electroplex host, is developed for high efficiency and long lifetime phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes by mixing two host materials generating an electroplex under an electric field. A carbazole-type host and a triazine-type host are selected as the host materials to form the electroplex host. The electroplex host is found to induce light emission through an energy transfer process rather than charge trapping, and universally improves the lifetime of red, yellow, green, and blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes by more than four times. Furthermore, the electroplex host shows much longer lifetime than a common exciplex host. This is the first demonstration of using the electroplex as the host of high efficiency and long lifetime phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes.

Abstract A new concept of host, electroplex host, is developed for high efficiency and long lifetime phosphorescent organic light‐emitting diodes by mixing two host materials generating an electroplex under an electric field. A carbazole‐type host and a triazine‐type host are selected as the host materials to form the electroplex host. The electroplex host is found to induce light emission through an energy transfer process rather than charge trapping, and universally improves the lifetime of red, yellow, green, and blue phosphorescent organic light‐emitting diodes by more than four times. Furthermore, the electroplex host shows much longer lifetime than a common exciplex host. This is the first demonstration of using the electroplex as the host of high efficiency and long lifetime phosphorescent organic light‐emitting diodes. PMID:29610726

Development of phosphorescent materials has significantly improved the efficiency of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). By using efficient red, green and blue phosphorescent emitter materials high efficient white OLEDs can be achieved. However, due to low stability of blue phosphorescent materials the lifetime of phosphorescent white OLEDs remains an issue. As a result, degradation of blue phosphorescent materials needs to be further investigated and improved. In this work, blue OLED devices based on the phosphorescent emitter FIrpic were investigated. Single-carrier hole-only as well as electron-only devices were fabricated. For investigation of degradation process the devices were stressed with electrical current and UV-light to study the impact of charge carriers as well as excitons and exciton-polaron quenching on the stability of the blue dye.

Three solution-processable exciplex-type host materials were successfully designed and characterized by equal molar blending hole transporting molecules with a newly synthesized electron transporting material, which possesses high thermal stability and good film-forming ability through a spin-coating technique. The excited-state dynamics and the structure-property relationships were systematically investigated. By gradually deepening the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level of electron-donating components, the triplet energy of exciplex hosts were increased from 2.64 to 3.10 eV. Low temperature phosphorescence spectra demonstrated that the excessively high triplet energy of exciplex would induce a serious energy leakage from the complex state to the constituting molecule. Furthermore, the low energy electromer state, which only exists under the electroexcitation, was found as another possible channel for energy loss in exciplex-based phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In particular, as quenching of the exciplex-state and the triplet exciton were largely eliminated, solution-processed blue phosphorescence OLEDs using the exciplex-type host achieved an extremely low turn-on voltage of 2.7 eV and record-high power efficiency of 22.5 lm W(-1), which were among the highest values in the devices with identical structure.

Here, we show that NH 2 -MIL-88B(Fe) can be used as a peroxidase-like catalyst for Fenton-like degradation of methylene blue (MB) in water. The iron-based NH 2 -MIL-88B(Fe) metal organic framework (MOF) was synthesized by a facile and rapid microwave heating method. It was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method. The NH 2 -MIL-88B(Fe) MOF possesses intrinsic oxidase-like and peroxidase-like activities. The reaction parameters that affect MB degradation were investigated, including the solution pH, NH 2 -MIL-88B(Fe) MOF and H 2 O 2 concentrations, and temperature. The results show that the NH 2 -MIL-88B(Fe) MOF exhibits a wide working pH range (pH 3.0-11.0), temperature tolerance, and good recyclability for MB removal. Under the optimal conditions, complete removal of MB was achieved within 45 min. In addition, removal of MB was above 80% after five cycles, showing the good recyclability of NH 2 -MIL-88B(Fe). The NH 2 -MIL-88B(Fe) MOF has the features of easy preparation, high efficiency, and good recyclability for MB removal in a wide pH range. Electron spin resonance and fluorescence probe results suggest the involvement of hydroxyl radicals in MB degradation. These findings provide new insight into the application of high-efficient MOF-based Fenton-like catalysts for water purification.

Recently, rapid development of phosphorescent materials has significantly improved the efficiency of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). By using efficient phosphorescent emitter materials white OLEDs with high power efficiency values could be demonstrated. But especially blue phosphorescent devices, due to stability issues, need to be further investigated und optimized. In this work, blue OLED devices based on the phosphorescent emitter FIrpic were investigated. Single-carrier hole-only as well as electron-only devices were fabricated and characterized to study the impact of charge carriers on device performance.

In this work, we report the highly efficient pure blue electroluminescent (EL) device based on bis[(3,5-difluoro-4-cyanophenyl)pyridine]picolinate iridium(III) (FCNIrpic) doped 9-(4-tert-Butylphenyl)-3,6-bis(triphenylsilyl)-9H-carbazole (CzSi) film. The matched energy levels of FCNIrpic and CzSi are helpful in facilitating the trapping of carriers, while the high triplet energy of CzSi can well avoid the undesired reverse energy transfer. More importantly, the injection of holes was further accelerated by inserting 5 nm 4,4′,4″-Tri(9-carbazoyl)triphenylamine (TcTa) film between hole transport layer and lighting-emitting layer (EML) as interlayer. Consequently, EL performances were significantly enhanced attributed to wider recombination zone and better balance of holes and electrons. Interestingly, single-EML device displayed higher performances than those of double-EMLs device. Finally, pure blue EL device with the structure of ITO/MoO{sub 3} (3 nm)/TAPC (40 nm)/TcTa (5 nm)/FCNIrpic (20%): CzSi (30 nm)/TmPyPB (40 nm)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (100 nm) realized the maximum brightness, current efficiency, power efficiency and external quantum efficiency up to 12,505 cd/m{sup 2}, 36.20 cd/A, 28.42 lm/W and 16.9%, respectively. Even at the high brightness of 1000 cd/m{sup 2}, current efficiency and external quantum efficiency up to 17.40 cd/A and 8.1%, respectively, can be retained by the same device.

Compact and efficientblue laser sheet has important applications in the field of measurement, with laser diode end pumped Nd:YAG directly and LBO intracavity frequency doubling, a compact and efficient CW 473nm blue laser sheet composed of dual path liner blue laser is realized. At an incident pump power of 12.4W, up to 1.4W output power of the compound blue laser is achieved, the optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is as high as 11.3%.

This review describes essential optical and emerging structural experiments that use high GPa range hydrostatic pressure to probe physical phenomena in blue-emitting organic semiconductors including π-conjugated polyfluorene and related compounds. The work emphasizes molecular structure and inter......This review describes essential optical and emerging structural experiments that use high GPa range hydrostatic pressure to probe physical phenomena in blue-emitting organic semiconductors including π-conjugated polyfluorene and related compounds. The work emphasizes molecular structure...... and intermolecular self-organization that typically determine transport and optical emission in π-conjugated oligomers and polymers. In this context, hydrostatic pressure through diamond anvil cells has proven to be an elegant tool to control structure and interactions without chemical intervention. This has been...... and intermolecular interactions on optical excitations, electron–phonon interaction, and changes in backbone conformations. This picture is connected to the optical high pressure studies of other π-conjugated systems and emerging x-ray scattering experiments from polyfluorenes which provides a structure-property map...

The interaction among organic cations, as the methylene blue (AM) and benzyltrimethylammonium (BTMA), and clay minerals of the group of the smectite they result in the formation of applied materials in the adsorption of organic pollutant presents in waters, soils and you cultivate. In this work they were prepared the adsorbents (organic-clays) smectite - AM and smectite-BTMA. The precursory sample of smectite was collected in Rio Branco-Acre. We were also used an smectite sample collected in Sena Madureira (SM)-Acre already characterized in previous work and a sample of standard smectite Swy-2-Na-Montmorillonite (SWy-2) of Wymong - USA. The organic agents selected for this study they were: Blue of Methylene, denominated AM and Benzyltrimethylammonium, denominated BTMA. They were appraised the capacities adsorptive of the treated samples with BTMA being used AM as adsorbate. The results of these evaluations detected that ran total adsorption of AM (concentrations varying from 1 to 10 ppm) for the treated samples with BTMA. The organic cation, BTMA, interacting with the surfaces of the natural clay was more efficient in the adsorption of AM than the clay without the previous treatment with this salt. (author)

NPB usually is used as a hole-transport layer in OLED. In fact, it is a standard pure blue-emission material. However, its light-emitting efficiency in OLED is low due to emissive nature of organic material. Herein, a deep-blue OLDE based on NPB was fabricated. The light-emitting efficiency of the device demonstrates a moderate value, and efficiency roll-off is little under high current density. The device demonstrates that the electroplex's emission decreases with increasing electric field intensity.

Full Text Available By incorporating ultrathin (80, low correlated color temperature of <3600 K, and high color stability at a wide voltage range of 5 V–9 V. These hybrid WOLEDs also reveal high forward-viewing external quantum efficiencies (EQE of 17.82%–19.34%, which are close to the theoretical value of 20%, indicating an almost complete exciton harvesting. In addition, the electroluminescence spectra of the hybrid WOLEDs can be easily improved by only changing the incorporating sequence of the ultrathin phosphorescence layers without device efficiency loss. For example, the hybrid WOLED with an incorporation sequence of ultrathin red/yellow/green phosphorescence layers exhibits an ultra-high CRI of 96 and a high EQE of 19.34%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first WOLED with good tradeoff among device efficiency, CRI, and color stability. The introduction of ultrathin (<0.1 nm phosphorescence layers can also greatly reduce the consumption of phosphorescent emitters as well as simplify device structures and fabrication process, thus leading to low cost. Such a finding is very meaningful for the potential commercialization of hybrid WOLEDs.

As an innovative anode for organic light emitting devices (OLEDs), we have investigated graphene films. Graphene has importance due to its huge potential in flexible OLED applications. In this work, graphene films have been catalytically grown and transferred to the glass substrate for OLED fabrications. We have successfully fabricated 2 mm × 2 mm device area blue fluorescent OLEDs with graphene anodes which showed 2.1% of external quantum efficiency at 1000 cd/m 2 . This is the highest value reported among fluorescent OLEDs using graphene anodes. Oxygen plasma treatment on graphene has been found to improve hole injections in low voltage regime, which has been interpreted as oxygen plasma induced work function modification. However, plasma treatment also increases the sheet resistance of graphene, limiting the maximum luminance. In summary, our works demonstrate the practical possibility of graphene as an anode material for OLEDs and suggest a processing route which can be applied to various graphene related devices.

The origin of colour stability in phosphorescent white organic light-emitting diodes (PHWOLEDs) with a blue/orange/blue stacked emitting structure was studied by monitoring the change in a recombination zone. A balanced recombination zone shift between the blue and the orange light-emitting layers was found to be responsible for the colour stability in the blue/orange/blue stacked PHWOLEDs.

Polymer materials find application in optical storage technology, namely in the development of high information density and fast access type memories. A new polymer blend of methylene blue sensitized polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) in methanol is prepared and characterized and its comparison with methylene blue sensitized PVA in methanol and complexed methylene blue sensitized polyvinyl chloride (CMBPVC) is presented. The optical absorption spectra of the thin films of these polymers showed a strong and broad absorption region at 670-650 nm, matching the wavelength of the laser used. A very slow recovery of the dye on irradiation was observed when a 7:3 blend of polyvinyl alcohol/polyacrylic acid at a pH of 3.8 and a sensitizer concentration of 4.67 · 10-5 g/ml were used. A diffraction efficiency of up to 20% was observed for the MBPVA/alcohol system and an energetic sensitivity of 2000 mJ/cm2 was obtained in the photosensitive films with a spatial frequency of 588 lines/mm.

The use of exciplex hosts is attractive for high-performance phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PhOLEDs) and thermally activated delayed fluorescence OLEDs, which have high external quantum efficiency, low driving voltage, and low efficiency roll-off. However, exciplex hosts for deep-blue OLEDs have not yet been reported because of the difficulties in identifying suitable molecules. Here, we report a deep-blue-emitting exciplex system with an exciplex energy of 3.0 eV. It is composed of a carbazole-based hole-transporting material (mCP) and a phosphine-oxide-based electron-transporting material (BM-A10). The blue PhOLEDs exhibited maximum external quantum efficiency of 24% with CIE coordinates of (0.15, 0.21) and longer lifetime than the single host devices.

Due to the rapid progress in the last years the performance of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) has reached a level where general lighting presents a most interesting application target. We demonstrate, how the color coordinates of the emission spectrum can be adjusted using a combinatorial evaporation tool to lie on the desired black body curve representing cold and warm white, respectively. The evaluation includes phosphorescent and fluorescent dye approaches to optimize lifetime and efficiency, simultaneously. Detailed results are presented with respect to variation of layer thicknesses and dopant concentrations of each layer within the OLED stack. The most promising approach contains phosphorescent red and green dyes combined with a fluorescent blue one as blue phosphorescent dopants are not yet stable enough to achieve long lifetimes.

Blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) were fabricated using double dopants FIrpic and FIr6 in emissive layer (EML) with structure of ITO/NPB (700 Å)/mCP:FIrpic-8%:FIr6-x% (300 Å)/TPBi (300 Å)/Liq (20 Å)/Al (1200 Å). We optimized concentration of the second dopant FIr6 in the presence of a fixed FIrpic to observe its effect on electrical performance of PHOLED device. 24.8 cd/A of luminous efficiency was achieved by the device with dopant ratio of 8%FIrpic:4%FIr6 in EML. Efficiency roll-off was also improved 20% compared to the PHOLED device singly dopped with FIrpic or FIr6 only. Second doping proved its effect in stabilizing charge balance in EML and enhancing energy transfer of triplet excitons between two dopants. - Highlights: • We fabricated blue PHOLED with double blue phosphorescent dopants in single EML. • Efficiency roll-off was improved by using double dopant in single EML. • The host–dopant transfer is discussed by analyzing the photo-absorption and photoluminescence. • The spectroscopic analysis using multi-peak fits with a Gaussian function.

We report about the optical and electrical characterization of three high efficiency and blue sensitive Silicon photomultipliers from FBK, Hamamatsu, and SensL. Key features of the tested devices when operated at 90% breakdown probability are peak photon detection efficiencies between 40% and 55%, temperature dependencies of gain and PDE that are less than 1%/°C, dark rates of ∼50 kHz/mm{sup 2} at room temperature, afterpulsing of about 2%, and direct optical crosstalk between 6% and 20%. The characteristics of all three devices impressively demonstrate how the Silicon-photomultiplier technology has improved over the past ten years. It is further demonstrated how the voltage and temperature characteristics of a number of quantities can be parameterized on the basis of physical models. The models provide a deeper understanding of the device characteristics over a wide bias and temperature range. They also serve as examples how producers could provide the characteristics of their SiPMs to users. A standardized parameterization of SiPMs would enable users to find the optimal SiPM for their application and the operating point of SiPMs without having to perform measurements thus significantly reducing design and development cycles.

A series of blue fluorescent emitters based on triphenylene derivatives were synthesized via the Diels -Alder reaction in moderate yields. The electronic absorption and emission characteristics of the new functional materials were affected by the nature of the substituent on the triphenylene nucleus. Multilayered OLEDs were fabricated with a device structure of: ITO/NPB (50 nm)/EML (30 nm)/Bphen (30 nm)/Liq (2.0 nm)/Al (100 nm). All devices showed efficientblue emissions. Among those, a device using 1 gives the best performances with a high brightness (978 cd m{sup -2} at 8.0 V) and high efficiencies (a luminous efficiency of 0.80 cd/A, a power efficiency of 0.34 lm/W and an external quantum efficiency of 0.73% at 20 mA/cm{sup 2}). The peak wavelength of the electroluminescence was 455 nm with CIE{sub x,y} coordinates of (0.17, 0.14) at 8.0 V.

Two polytungstovandates [Ag(mbpy){sub 2}][Ag{sub 2}(mbpy){sub 3}][VW{sub 5}O{sub 19}]·H{sub 2}O (1) and [Ag(mbpy)]{sub 2}[Ag(mbpy){sub 2}]{sub 4}[VW{sub 12}O{sub 40}] (2) (mbpy =4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridyl), had been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by IR, TG, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. Single-crystal structural analysis revealed that the polyanionic clusters in two compounds are different: Lindqvist-type in 1 and α-Keggin-type in 2, respectively, while the cationic moieties in them are Ag-mbpy units. The experiments showed that this kind of hybrid crystal materials possesses more efficiently catalytic performance for the degradation of organic dye methylene blue (MB) in water solution under the UV irradiation. The significant degradation rate of MB can reach 89.9%, 94.9% by crystals 1 and 2 (40 mg) in the course of about 5 min. - Graphical abstract: Two Ag-ligand modified polytungstovandates had been synthesized and characterized, which were active in the catalytic degradation of organic dye methylene blue under the UV irradiation. - Highlights: • Two Ag-ligand modified tungstovandates were synthesized and characterized. • Weak interactions play important roles in constructing crystal frameworks. • Compounds are active to catalyze the degradation of methylene blue.

We report the synthesis, photophysics, and electrochemical characterization of carbazole/benzimidazole-based compound (Cz-2pbb) and efficient fluorescent deep-blue light emitting devices based on Cz-2pbb with the peak external quantum efficiency

Natural red fluorescence is particularly conspicuous in the eyes of some small, benthic, predatory fishes. Fluorescence also increases in relative efficiency with increasing depth, which has generated speculation about its possible function as a "light organ" to detect cryptic organisms under bluish light. Here we investigate whether foraging success is improved under ambient conditions that make red fluorescence stand out more, using the triplefin Tripterygion delaisi as a model system. We repeatedly presented 10 copepods to individual fish (n = 40) kept under a narrow blue-green spectrum and compared their performance with that under a broad spectrum with the same overall brightness. The experiment was repeated for two levels of brightness, a shaded one representing 0.4% of the light present at the surface and a heavily shaded one with about 0.01% of the surface brightness. Fish were 7% more successful at catching copepods under the narrow, fluorescence-friendly spectrum than under the broad spectrum. However, this effect was significant under the heavily shaded light treatment only. This outcome corroborates previous predictions that fluorescence may be an adaptation to blue-green, heavily shaded environments, which coincides with the opportunistic biology of this species that lives in the transition zone between exposed and heavily shaded microhabitats.

The aim of the paper is to measure the efficiency of an industry, and to decompose it in firm efficiencies—which indicate how close firms approximate best practices—and an organization efficiency—which indicates the degree of optimality of the number of firms and their distribution. The latter

Phosphorescent organic materials harvest singlet and triplet excitons through inter-system crossing and improve the efficiency of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). This improvement increases the potential of OLEDs, particularly white phosphorescent OLEDs (PHOLEDs), for lighting application. Although much progress has been made in the development of white PHOLEDs, the lifetime of phosphorescent emitters, especially the blue emitter, still needs to be improved. This thesis discusses the developments of blue PHOLEDs and investigations of degradation mechanisms. For development of blue PHOLEDs, two phosphorescent blue emitters were investigated: commercially available FIrpic and B1 provided by BASF. By varying the matrix and blocker materials, diode efficiency and lifetime have been investigated and improved. Blue PHOLEDs with emitter B1 show better efficiency and lifetime than devices with FIrpic. From lifetime measurement with constant DC current density, intrinsic degradation including luminance loss and voltage increase on both FIrpic and B1 PHOLEDs was observed. Photoluminescence measurement shows degradation in the emitting layers. To investigate the degradation of emitter layers, single-carrier devices with emitter systems or pure matrix materials were fabricated. Degradation on these devices was investigated by applying constant DC current, UV-irradiation and combination of both. We found that due to excited states (excitons), FIrpic molecules become unstable and polarons would enhance the degradation of FIrpic during DC operation and UV-excitation. To investigate the impact the exciton formation and exciton decay have on the degradation of FIrpic molecules, red phosphorescent emitter Ir(MDQ){sub 2}(acac) was doped in blue emitter layer TCTA:20% FIrpic. The doping concentration of Ir(MDQ){sub 2}(acac) was much lower than FIrpic to ensure that most of the exciton formation occurred on FIrpic molecules. Lower triplet energy of Ir(MDQ){sub 2}(acac) molecules

The synthesis of a high photoluminescence efficiency (88%, compared with tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)(Alq 3 )) organic material 9,9-Dibutyl-N,N,N,N-tetraphenyl-9H-fluorene-2,7-diamine (DTFD) via Ullmann condensation was reported. Exiciplex emission of the ITO/DTFD/2,2-[1,2-phenylenebis(oxy)]bis(N,N-diphenylacetamide)/Alq 3 /LiF/Al device was observed and the peak wavelength of the emission was measured to be 480 nm, which belongs to the blue region. A turn-on voltage as low as 4 V and maximal brightness as large as 400 cd m -2 were measured. The electroluminescence spectrum was observed to be blue-shifted with increase in applied voltage

The synthesis of a high photoluminescence efficiency (88%, compared with tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)(Alq{sub 3})) organic material 9,9-Dibutyl-N,N,N,N-tetraphenyl-9H-fluorene-2,7-diamine (DTFD) via Ullmann condensation was reported. Exiciplex emission of the ITO/DTFD/2,2-[1,2-phenylenebis(oxy)]bis(N,N-diphenylacetamide)/Alq{sub 3}/LiF/Al device was observed and the peak wavelength of the emission was measured to be 480 nm, which belongs to the blue region. A turn-on voltage as low as 4 V and maximal brightness as large as 400 cd m{sup -2} were measured. The electroluminescence spectrum was observed to be blue-shifted with increase in applied voltage.

Currently, the mobile display market is strongly shifting towards AMOLED technology, in order to enable curved and flexible displays. This leads to a growing demand for highly efficient OLED emitters to reduce the power consumption and increase display resolution at the same time. While highly efficient green and red OLEDs already found their place in commercial OLED-displays, the lack of efficientblue emitters is still an issue. Consequently, the active area for blue is considerably larger than for green and red pixels, to make up for the lower efficiency. We intend to close this efficiency-gap with novel emitters based on thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) technology. Compared to state-of-the-art fluorescent dopants, the efficiency of TADF-emitters is up to four times higher. At the same time, it is possible to design them in a way to maintain deep blue emission, i.e. CIE y < 0.2. These aspects are relevant to produce efficient high resolution AMOLED displays. Apart from these direct customer benefits, our TADF technology does not contain any rare elements, which allows for the fabrication of sustainable OLED technology. In this work, we highlight one of our recently developed blue TADF materials. Basic material properties as well as first device results are discussed. In a bottom-emitting device, a CIEx/CIEy coordinate of (0.16/0.17) was achieved with efficiency values close to 20% EQE.

Levofloxacin (LOFX), which is well-known as an antibiotic medicament, was shown to be useful as a 452-nm blue emitter for white organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In this paper, the fabricated white OLED contains a 452-nm blue emitting layer (thickness of 30 nm) with 1 wt% LOFX doped in CBP (4,4’-bis(carbazol-9-yl)biphenyl) host and a 584-nm orange emitting layer (thickness of 10 nm) with 0.8 wt% DCJTB (4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-tert-butyl-6-(1,1,7, 7-tetramethyljulolidin-4-yl-vinyl)-4H-pyran) doped in CBP, which are separated by a 20-nm-thick buffer layer of TPBi (2,2’,2”-(benzene-1,3,5-triyl)-tri(1-phenyl-1H-benzimidazole). A high color rendering index (CRI) of 84.5 and CIE chromaticity coordinates of (0.33, 0.32), which is close to ideal white emission CIE (0.333, 0.333), are obtained at a bias voltage of 14 V. Taking into account that LOFX is less expensive and the synthesis and purification technologies of LOFX are mature, these results indicate that blue fluorescence emitting LOFX is useful for applications to white OLEDs although the maximum current efficiency and luminance are not high. The present paper is expected to become a milestone to using medical drug materials for OLEDs. (paper)

In this paper, highly efficient and simple monochrome blue, green, orange, and red organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on ultrathin nondoped emissive layers (EMLs) have been reported. The ultrathin nondoped EML was constructed by introducing a 0.1 nm thin layer of pure phosphorescent dyes between a hole transporting layer and an electron transporting layer. The maximum external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) reached 17.1%, 20.9%, 17.3%, and 19.2% for blue, green, orange, and red monochrome OLEDs, respectively, indicating the universality of the ultrathin nondoped EML for most phosphorescent dyes. On the basis of this, simple white OLED structures are also demonstrated. The demonstrated complementary blue/orange, three primary blue/green/red, and four color blue/green/orange/red white OLEDs show high efficiency and good white emission, indicating the advantage of ultrathin nondoped EMLs on constructing simple and efficient white OLEDs.

High efficiencyblueorganic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), based on 2-me-thyl-9,10-di(2-naphthyl) anthracene (MADN) doped with 4,4'-bis(9-ethyl-3-carbazovinylene)-1,1'-biphenyl (BCzVBi), were fabricated using two different electron transport layers (ETLs) of tris(8-hydroxyquinolino)-aluminum (Alq3) and 4,7-di-phenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Bphen). Bphen ETL layers favored the efficient hole-electron recombination in the emissive layer of the BCzVBi-doped blue OLEDs, leading to high luminous efficiency and quantum efficiency of 8.34 cd/A at 100 mA/cm2 and 5.73% at 100 cd/m2, respectively. Maximum luminance of blue OLED with Bphen ETL and Alq3 ETL were 10670 cd/m2, and CIExy coordinates of blue OLEDs were (0.180, 0279) and (0.155, 0.212) at 100 cd/m2.

Full Text Available Organic light-emitting diodes offer attractive perspectives for the next generation display and lighting technologies. The potential is huge and the list of potential applications is almost endless. So far, blue emitters still suffer from noticeably inferior electroluminescence performances in terms of efficiency, lifespan, color quality, and charge injection/transport when compared to that of the other colors. Emitting materials matching the NTSC standard blue of coordinates (0.14, 0.08 are extremely rare and still constitutes the focus of numerous academic and industrial researches. In this context, we review herein the recent developments on highly emissive deep-blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitters that constitute the third-generation electroluminescent materials.

Shuji Nakamura discovered p-type doping in Gallium Nitride (GaN) and developed blue, green, and white InGaN based light emitting diodes (LEDs) and blue laser diodes (LDs). His inventions made possible energy efficient, solid-state lighting systems and enabled the next generation of optical storage. Together with Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano, he is one of the three recipients of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics. In his Nobel lecture, Shuji Nakamura gives an overview of this research and the story of his inventions. (copyright 2015 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Levofloxacin (LOFX), which is well-known as an antibiotic medicament, was shown to be useful as a 452-nm blue emitter for white organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In this paper, the fabricated white OLED contains a 452-nm blue emitting layer (thickness of 30 nm) with 1 wt% LOFX doped in CBP (4,4’-bis(carbazol-9-yl)biphenyl) host and a 584-nm orange emitting layer (thickness of 10 nm) with 0.8 wt% DCJTB (4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-tert-butyl-6-(1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidin-4-yl-vinyl)-4H-pyran) doped in CBP, which are separated by a 20-nm-thick buffer layer of TPBi (2,2’,2”-(benzene-1,3,5-triyl)-tri(1-phenyl-1H-benzimidazole). A high color rendering index (CRI) of 84.5 and CIE chromaticity coordinates of (0.33, 0.32), which is close to ideal white emission CIE (0.333, 0.333), are obtained at a bias voltage of 14 V. Taking into account that LOFX is less expensive and the synthesis and purification technologies of LOFX are mature, these results indicate that blue fluorescence emitting LOFX is useful for applications to white OLEDs although the maximum current efficiency and luminance are not high. The present paper is expected to become a milestone to using medical drug materials for OLEDs. Project supported by the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. NCET-13-0927), the International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China (Grant No. 2012DFR50460), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21101111 and 61274056), and the Shanxi Provincial Key Innovative Research Team in Science and Technology, China (Grant No. 2012041011).

It is demonstrated that the panchromatic luminescence devices with organicblue-emissive light-emitting was fabricated. This technique used down conversion, which was already popular in inorganic power LEDs to obtain white light emission. A blue OLED device with a configuration of ITO/2T-NATA (30 nm)/AND : TBPe (50 Wt%, 40 nm)/Alq3 (100 nm)/LiF(1 nm)/Al(100 nm) was prepared via vacuum deposition process, and then coated with YAG : Ce phosphor layers of different thicknesses to obtain a controllable and uniform shape while the CIE coordinates were fine tuned. This development not only decreased steps of technics and degree of difficulty, but also applied the mature technology of phosphor. The results showed that steady spectrogram was obtained in the devices with phosphor, with a best performance of a maximum luminance of 13 840 cd x m(-2) which was about 2 times of that of the devices without phosphor; a maximum current efficiency of 17.3 cd x A(-1) was increased more two times more than the devices without phosphor. The emission spectrum could be adjusted by varying the concentration and thickness of the phosphor layers. Absoulte spectrogram of devices was in direct proportion with different driving current corresponding.

Full Text Available The adsorption of methylene blue from aqueous solution onto activated carbon prepared from cola nut shell has been investigated under batch mode. The influence of major parameters governing the efficiency of the process such as, solution pH, sorbent dose, initial concentration, and contact time on the removal process was investigated. The time-dependent experimental studies showed that the adsorption quantity of methylene blue increases with initial concentration and decreasing adsorbent dosage. The equilibrium time of 180 min was observed and maximum adsorption was favoured at pH 3.5. The dye removal using 0.1 g of adsorbent was more than 90%. This dosage (0.1 g was considered as the optimum dosage to remove methylene blue from aqueous solutions. The equilibrium adsorption data were analyzed by the Freundlich, Langmuir adsorption isotherm models. The kinetics of methylene blue solution was discussed by pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and Elovich models. The adsorption process follows the Elovich rate kinetic model, having a correlation coefficient in the range between 0.9811 and 1.

The power conversion efficiency of the most efficientorganic photovoltaic (OPV) cells has recently increased to over 10%. To enable further increases, the factors limiting the device efficiency in OPV must be identified. In this review, the operational mechanism of OPV cells is explained and the

White fluorescent OLED devices with a 10 nm thick blue-emitting layer and a 31 nm thick orange-emitting layer have been fabricated, where the blue-emitting layer is stacked on a hole transport layer. An interlayer was inserted between the two emitting layers. The thickness of the interlayer was changed among 0.3, 0.4, and 1.0 nm. White emission with CIE coordinates close to (0.33, 0.33) was observed from all the OLEDs. OLED with 0.3 nm thick interlayer gives the highest maximum luminous efficiency (11 cd/A), power efficiency (9 lm/W), and external quantum efficiency (5.02%). The external quantum efficiency becomes low with increasing the interlayer thickness from 0 nm to 1.0 nm. When the location of the blue- and orange-emitting layers is reversed, white emission was not obtained because of too weak blue emission. It is suggested that the electron-hole recombination zone decreases nearly exponentially with a distance from the hole transport layer.

Extraordinary properties of graphene and its derivatives have found application in varied areas such as energy, electronics, optical devices and sensors, to name a few. Large surface area along with specialized functional groups make these materials attractive for removal of dye molecules in solution via adsorption. Industrial effluents contain large amounts of toxic chemicals resulting in pollution of water bodies, which pose environmental hazards in general. Here we report application of 3D oxidized graphene frameworks in the efficient removal of cationic dye molecules such as methylene blue via adsorption. Systematic parametric studies investigating the effect of the initial dye concentration, pH and contact time have been performed. Spectroscopic analysis of the filtrate suggests that tortuous paths in 3D oxidized graphene frameworks result in efficient removal of dye molecules due to enhanced interaction. The hydroxyl groups retained in these 3D oxidized graphene frameworks facilitate adsorption of the dye molecules while passing through the adsorbent. pH studies suggest that maximum removal efficiency for methylene blue was achieved at pH value of 9. The results suggest that these 3D oxidized graphene frameworks can be used for purification of large volumes of contaminated water from cationic dyes in waste water treatment plants.

In this paper, we have designed four diphenylaminofluorenylstyrene derivatives end-capped with heterocyclic aromatic groups, such as 9-phenylcabazole, 4-dibenzofuran, 2-benzoxazole, 2-quinoxaline, respectively. These materials showed blue to red fluorescence with maximum emission wavelengths of 476–611 nm, respectively, which were dependent on the structural and electronic nature of end-capping groups. To explore the electroluminescent properties of these materials, multilayer OLEDs were fabricated in the following sequence: ITO/DNTPD (40 nm)/NPB (20 nm)/2% doped in MADN (20 nm)/Alq{sub 3} (40 nm)/Liq. (1 nm)/Al. Among those, a device exhibited a highly efficientblue emission with the maximum luminance of 14,480 cd/m{sup 2} at 9 V, the luminous efficiency of 5.38 cd/A at 20 mA/cm{sup 2}, power efficiency of 2.77 lm/W at 20 mA/cm{sup 2}, and CIE{sub x,y} coordinates of (0.147, 0.152) at 8 V, respectively.

In this article, the synthesis, characterization and use of two novel naphthalimides as electron-transporting emitter materials for organic light emitting diode (OLED) applications are reported. The molecules were obtained by substituting electron donating chloro-phenoxy group at the C-4 position. A detailed optical, thermal, electrochemical and related properties were systematically studied. Furthermore, theoretical calculations (DFT) were performed to get a better understanding of the electronic structures. The synthesized molecules were used as electron transporters and emitters in OLEDs with three different device configurations. The devices with the molecules showed blue emission with efficiencies of 1.89 cdA-1, 0.98 lmW-1, 0.71% at 100 cdm-2. The phosphorescent devices with naphthalimides as electron transport materials displayed better performance in comparison to the device without any electron transporting material and were analogous with the device using standard electron transporting material, Alq3. The results demonstrate that the naphthalimides could play a significant part in the progress of OLEDs.

Graphene sheets decorated with SnO(2) nanoparticles (RGO-SnO(2)) were prepared via a redox reaction between graphene oxide (GO) and SnCl(2). Graphene oxide (GO) was reduced to graphene (RGO) and Sn(2+) was oxidized to SnO(2) during the redox reaction, leading to a homogeneous distribution of SnO(2) nanoparticles on RGO sheets. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show uniform distribution of the nanoparticles on the RGO surface and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) shows an average particle size of 3-5 nm. The RGO-SnO(2) composite showed an enhanced photocatalytic degradation activity for the organic dye methylene blue under sunlight compared to bare SnO(2) nanoparticles. This result leads us to believe that the RGO-SnO(2) composite could be used in catalytic photodegradation of other organic dyes.

Compounds that emit blue light are of interest for applications that include optoelectronic devices and chemo/biosensing and imaging. The design and synthesis of small organic molecules that can act as high-efficiency deep-blue-light emitters

The development of efficient and robust deep-blue emitters is one of the key issues in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) for environmentally friendly, large-area displays or general lighting. As a promising technology that realizes 100% conversion from electrons to photons, thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters have attracted considerable attention. However, only a handful of examples of deep-blue TADF emitters have been reported to date, and the emitters generally show large efficiency roll-off at practical luminance over several hundreds to thousands of cd m -2 , most likely because of the long delayed fluorescent lifetime (τ d ). To overcome this problem, we molecularly manipulated the electronic excited state energies of pyrimidine-based TADF emitters to realize deep-blue emission and reduced τ d . We then systematically investigated the relationships among the chemical structure, properties, and device performances. The resultant novel pyrimidine emitters, called Ac-XMHPMs (X = 1, 2, and 3), contain different numbers of bulky methyl substituents at acceptor moieties, increasing the excited singlet (E S ) and triplet state (E T ) energies. Among them, Ac-3MHPM, with a high E T of 2.95 eV, exhibited a high external quantum efficiency (η ext,max ) of 18% and an η ext of 10% at 100 cd m -2 with Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage chromaticity coordinates of (0.16, 0.15). These efficiencies are among the highest values to date for deep-blue TADF OLEDs. Our molecular design strategy provides fundamental guidance to design novel deep-blue TADF emitters.

Light-emitting devices based on environmentally stable, blue-emitting polymer/dielectric nanolayer nanocomposites were fabricated by blending poly(di-octylfluorene) (PDOF) with organo-clay. By reducing the excimer formation that leads to long wavelength tails, the photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) color purity of the device was enhanced. When a conjugated polymer/dielectric nanolayer nanocomposite is applied to an EL device, we expect an electronic structure similar to the well-known quantum well in small nanodomains. The ratio of PDOF/organo-clay was regulated from 2:1 to 0.5:1 (w/w). The light-emitting device of 0.5:1 (w/w) blend demonstrated the highest quantum efficiency (QE), 0.72% (ph/el), which is ∼500 times higher value compared with that of the pure PDOF layer device. However, the driving voltage of the nanocomposite devices tended to increase with increasing organo-clay content

In this research, complex emitting layers (EML) were fabricated using TCTA doping hole-transport material in the front half of a bipolar 26DCzPPy as well as PPT doping electron-transport material in the back half of 26DCzPPy. Blue dopant FIrpic was also mixed inside the complex emitting layer to produce a highly efficientblue phosphorescent organic light emitting diode (OLED). The hole and electron injection and carrier recombination rate were effectively increased. The fabricated complex emitting layers exhibited current efficiency of 42 cd/A and power efficiency of 30 lm/W when the luminance was 1000 cd/m{sup 2}, driving voltage was 4.4 V, and current density was 2.4 mA/cm{sup 2}. A white OLED component was then manufactured by doping red dopant [Os(bpftz){sub 2}(PPh{sub 2}Me){sub 2}] (Os) in proper locations. When the Os dopant was doped in between the complex emitting layers, excitons were effectively confined within, increasing the recombination rate and therefore reducing the color shift. The resulting Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates shifted from 4 to 10 V is (Δx=−0.04, Δy=+0.01). The component had a current efficiency of 35.7 cd/A, a power efficiency of 24 lm/W, driving voltage of 4.6 V and a CIE{sub x,y} of (0.31,0.35) at a luminance of 1000 cd/m{sup 2}, with a maximum luminance of 15,600 cd/m{sup 2} at 10 V. Attaching an outcoupling enhancement film was applied to increase the luminance efficiency to 30 lm/W. - Highlights: • Used the complex double emitting layers. • Respectively doped hole and electron transport material in the bipolar host. • Electrons and holes are effectively confined within EMLs to produce excitons.

In this research, complex emitting layers (EML) were fabricated using TCTA doping hole-transport material in the front half of a bipolar 26DCzPPy as well as PPT doping electron-transport material in the back half of 26DCzPPy. Blue dopant FIrpic was also mixed inside the complex emitting layer to produce a highly efficientblue phosphorescent organic light emitting diode (OLED). The hole and electron injection and carrier recombination rate were effectively increased. The fabricated complex emitting layers exhibited current efficiency of 42 cd/A and power efficiency of 30 lm/W when the luminance was 1000 cd/m 2 , driving voltage was 4.4 V, and current density was 2.4 mA/cm 2 . A white OLED component was then manufactured by doping red dopant [Os(bpftz) 2 (PPh 2 Me) 2 ] (Os) in proper locations. When the Os dopant was doped in between the complex emitting layers, excitons were effectively confined within, increasing the recombination rate and therefore reducing the color shift. The resulting Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates shifted from 4 to 10 V is (Δx=−0.04, Δy=+0.01). The component had a current efficiency of 35.7 cd/A, a power efficiency of 24 lm/W, driving voltage of 4.6 V and a CIE x,y of (0.31,0.35) at a luminance of 1000 cd/m 2 , with a maximum luminance of 15,600 cd/m 2 at 10 V. Attaching an outcoupling enhancement film was applied to increase the luminance efficiency to 30 lm/W. - Highlights: • Used the complex double emitting layers. • Respectively doped hole and electron transport material in the bipolar host. • Electrons and holes are effectively confined within EMLs to produce excitons

This article develops a framework that distinguishes four types of competitive strategies that physicians' organizations can adopt in their interactions with health plans. Two types of strategies protect physicians' incomes and autonomy from incursion and control by insurers; the other two enhance the efficiency of health care markets by controlling costs and embedding physicians' caregiving in a community of professionals. The mix of strategies that each organization adopts at any given time depends on the market conditions and regulatory policies it faces, as well as its organizational capacity. The article reviews recent developments in the field that indicate that today's markets and regulations create neither the pressures nor the capacity for physicians' organizations to adopt strategies that enhance efficiency. The managed care backlash has led to a relaxation of pressures to control costs, and the lack of a business case for quality has discouraged embedded caregiving. These developments instead have encouraged and enabled physicians' organizations to adopt strategies that protect their members from the bargaining power and micromanagement of health plans. The article therefore proposes changes in purchasing and regulatory policies to alter the pressures and improve the capacity of physicians' organizations to pursue efficiency and eschew protectionism.

In this work, we fabricated white organic light-emitting devices (WOLEDs) containing a layered light-emitting region composed of a single blue-emitting host and different fluorescent dopant materials. The effects of varying the dye-doping ratio and emitting layer thickness on the efficiency, lifetime, spectral voltage-dependence and white balance were investigated for devices with a blue/orange stacked layer structure. Addition of a blue host layer doped with a green-emitting dopant, to give a blue/green/orange emitter, resulted in a broadband white spectrum without the need for a charge-blocking interlayer. The composition of blue, green and orange dopants in the host and the thickness of each emitting layer were optimized, resulting in a device efficiency of 9-11 cd A -1 even at a high brightness of 10 000 cd m -2 (achieved at a bias voltage of less than 9 V) with an emission spectrum suitable for lighting applications

Low driving voltage blue, green, yellow, red and white phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with a common simply double emitting layer (D-EML) structure are investigated. Our OLEDs without any out-coupling schemes as well as n-doping strategies show low driving voltage, e.g. white OLED, respectively. This work demonstrates that the low driving voltages and high efficiencies can be simultaneously realized with a common simply D-EML structure.

A new family of neutron/gamma discriminating scintillators is disclosed that comprises stable organic glasses that may be melt-cast into transparent monoliths. These materials have been shown to provide light yields greater than solution-grown trans-stilbene crystals and efficient PSD capabilities when combined with 0.01 to 0.05% by weight of the total composition of a wavelength-shifting fluorophore. Photoluminescence measurements reveal fluorescence quantum yields that are 2 to 5 times greater than conventional plastic or liquid scintillator matrices, which accounts for the superior light yield of these glasses. The unique combination of high scintillation light-yields, efficient neutron/gamma PSD, and straightforward scale-up via melt-casting distinguishes the developed organic glasses from existing scintillators.

Freshwater stems from precipitation over land, which differentiates into a blue water flow (groundwater and surface water) and a green water flow (evaporation). Both flows are partially allocated to serve the economy, resulting in blue and green water footprints (WF). There are maximum sustainable levels to the blue and green WF, since rainfall is limited and part of the flows need to be reserved for aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity. Water scarcity, the degree to which the actual approach...

White organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) have attracted much attention recently, aimed for next-generation lighting sources because of their high potential to realize high electroluminescence efficiency, flexibility, and low-cost manufacture. Here, we demonstrate high-efficiency WOLED using red, green, and blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence materials as emissive dopants to generate white electroluminescence. The WOLED has a maximum external quantum efficiency of over 17% with Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage coordinates of (0.30, 0.38).

The effort to remove methylene blue in artificial solution had been conducted using adsorption process. The abundant banana stem waste was utilized as activated carbon precursor. This study aimed to analyse the influence of solution pH to removal efficiency of methylene blue using activated carbon from banana stem as adsorbent. Activated carbon from banana stem was obtained by chemical activation using H3PO4 solution. Proximate analysis result showed that the activated carbon has 47.22% of fixed carbon. This value exhibited that banana stem was a potential adsorbent precursor. Methylene blue solutions were prepared at initial concentration of 50 ppm. The influence of solution pH was investigated with the use of 0.2 g adsorbent for 100 mL dye solution. The adsorption was conducted using shaker with at a constant rate of 100 rpm at room temperature for 90 minutes. The results showed that solution pH influenced the adsorption. The activated carbon from banana stem demonstrated satisfying performance since removal efficiencies of methylene blue were higher than 99%.

Multicolored semiconductor quantum dots have shown great promise for construction of miniaturized light-emitting diodes with compact size, low weight and cost, and high luminescent efficiency. The unique size-dependent luminescent property of quantum dots offers the feasibility of constructing single-color or full-color output light-emitting diodes with one type of material. In this paper, we have demonstrated the facile fabrication of blue-, green-, red- and full-color-emitting semiconductor quantum dot optical films via a layer-by-layer assembly technique. The optical films were constructed by alternative deposition of different colored quantum dots with a series of oppositely charged species, in particular, the new use of cationic starch on glass substrates. Semiconductor ZnSe quantum dots exhibiting blue emission were deposited for fabrication of blue-emitting optical films, while semiconductor CdTe quantum dots with green and red emission were utilized for construction of green- and red-emitting optical films. The assembly of integrated blue, green and red semiconductor quantum dots resulted in full-color-emitting optical films. The luminescent optical films showed very bright emitting colors under UV irradiation, and displayed dense, smooth and efficient luminous features, showing brighter luminescence in comparison with their corresponding quantum dot aqueous colloid solutions. The assembled optical films provide the prospect of miniaturized light-emitting-diode applications.

We investigated blue fluorescent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with a charge control layer (CCL) to produce high efficiency and improve the half-decay lifetime. Three types of devices (device A, B, and C) were fabricated following the number of CCLs within the emitting layer (EML), maintaining the thickness of whole EML. The CCL and host material, 2-methyl-9,10-di(2-naphthyl)anthracene, which has a bipolar property, was able to control the carrier movement with ease inside the EML. Device B demonstrated a maximum luminous efficiency (LE) and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 9.19 cd/A and 5.78%, respectively. It also showed that the enhancement of the half-decay lifetime, measured at an initial luminance of 1,000 cd/m2, was 1.5 times longer than that of the conventional structure. A hybrid white OLED (WOLED) was also fabricated using a phosphorescent red emitter, bis(2-phenylquinoline)-acetylacetonate iridium III doped in 4,4'-N,N'-dicarbazolyl-biphenyl. The property of the hybrid WOLED with CCL showed a maximum LE and an EQE of 13.46 cd/A and 8.32%, respectively. It also showed white emission with Commission International de L'Éclairage coordinates of (x = 0.41, y = 0.33) at 10 V.

The presence of Natural Organic Matter (NOM) in surface water results in unwanted characteristics in terms of color, odor, and taste. NOM content reaction with free chlorine in treated water lowers the water quality further. Chlorine is added for disinfection and produces undesirable disinfection by-products (DPBs). DBPs in drinking water are carcinogenic to consumers and may promote cancerous cell development in the human body. This study was performed to compare the coagulant efficiency of aluminum sulfate (Alum) and ferric chloride (FeCl3) on NOM removal (as in UV254 absorbance) and turbidity removal under three pH conditions (pH 6, pH 7, and sample actual pH). The three sampling points for these studies were Jalan Baru River, Kerian River, and Redac Pond. Additional sampling points, such as Lubuk Buntar and a tubewell located in the Civil Engineering School, were included to observe differences in characteristics. DOC, UV absorbance, and full wavelength were tested, after which samples treated with alum were also tested to further analyze the NOM content. Based on UV254 absorbance and DOC data, specific UV value was calculated to obtain vital synopsis of the characteristics of NOM content, as well as coagulation efficiency.

Two new four-coordinate organoboron compounds with 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)imidazole derivatives as the chelating ligands have been synthesized. They possess high thermal stability and are able to form an amorphous glass state. Crystallographic analyses indicate that the differences in ligand structure cause the change of ππ stacking character. The CH 2 Cl 2 solutions and thin films of these compounds display bright blue emission, and these compounds have appropriate HOMO and LUMO energy levels for carrier injection in OLEDs. By utilizing the good thermal and luminescent properties, as well as the proper frontier orbital energy levels, bright non-doped OLEDs with a simple structure have been realized. Notably, these simple devices show deep blue electroluminescence with the Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage (CIE) coordinate of ca. (0.16, 0.08), which is close to the CIE coordinate of (0.14, 0.08) for standard blue defined by the National Television System Committee. In addition, one of the devices exhibits good performance, showing brightness, current efficiency, power efficiency and external quantum efficiency up to 2692 cd m -2 , 2.50 cd A -1 , 1.81 lm W -1 and 3.63%, respectively. This study not only provides good deep-blue emitting OLED materials that are rarely achieved by using four-coordinate organoboron compounds, but also allows a deeper understanding of the structure-property relationship of 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)imidazole-based boron complexes, which benefits the further structural design of this type of material.

In this letter, the results of supramolecular organic light emitting diodes using a calix[4] arene complex thin film as emitter and electron transporting layer are presented. The devices were grown onto glass substrates coated with indium-tin-oxide layer and aluminum thick (150nm) cathode. By applying a dc voltage between the device electrodes in forward bias condition, a blue light emission in the active area of the device was observed. It was found that the electroluminescent emission peak can be tuned between 470 and 510nm changing the applied voltage bias from 4.3 to 5.4V. The observed tunable emission can be associated with an energy transfer from the calixarene compound.

Single-layer blue phosphorescence organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) with either small-molecule or polymer hosts are fabricated using solution process and the performances of devices with different hosts are investigated. The small-molecule device exhibits luminous efficiency of 14.7 cd/A and maximum power efficiency of 8.39 lm/W, which is the highest among blue phosphorescence OLEDs with single-layer solution process and small molecular hosts. Using the same solution process for all devices, comparison of light out-coupling enhancement, with brightness enhancement film (BEF), between small-molecule and polymer based OLEDs is realized. Due to different dipole orientation and anisotropic refractive index, polymer-based OLEDs would trap less light than small molecule-based OLEDs internally, about 37% better based simulation results. In spite of better electrical and spectroscopic characteristics, including ambipolar characteristics, higher carrier mobility, higher photoluminescence quantum yield, and larger triplet state energy, the overall light out-coupling efficiency of small molecule-based devices is worse than that of polymer-based devices without BEF. However, with BEF for light out-coupling enhancement, the improved ratio in luminous flux and luminous efficiency for small molecule based device is 1.64 and 1.57, respectively, which are significantly better than those of PVK (poly-9-vinylcarbazole) devices. In addition to the theoretical optical simulation, the experimental data also confirm the origins of differential light-outcoupling enhancement. The maximum luminous efficiency and power efficiency are enhanced from 14.7 cd/A and 8.39 lm/W to 23 cd/A and 13.2 lm/W, respectively, with laminated BEF, which are both the highest so far for single-layer solution-process blue phosphorescence OLEDs with small molecule hosts.

Single-layer blue phosphorescence organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) with either small-molecule or polymer hosts are fabricated using solution process and the performances of devices with different hosts are investigated. The small-molecule device exhibits luminous efficiency of 14.7 cd/A and maximum power efficiency of 8.39 lm/W, which is the highest among blue phosphorescence OLEDs with single-layer solution process and small molecular hosts. Using the same solution process for all devices, comparison of light out-coupling enhancement, with brightness enhancement film (BEF), between small-molecule and polymer based OLEDs is realized. Due to different dipole orientation and anisotropic refractive index, polymer-based OLEDs would trap less light than small molecule-based OLEDs internally, about 37% better based simulation results. In spite of better electrical and spectroscopic characteristics, including ambipolar characteristics, higher carrier mobility, higher photoluminescence quantum yield, and larger triplet state energy, the overall light out-coupling efficiency of small molecule-based devices is worse than that of polymer-based devices without BEF. However, with BEF for light out-coupling enhancement, the improved ratio in luminous flux and luminous efficiency for small molecule based device is 1.64 and 1.57, respectively, which are significantly better than those of PVK (poly-9-vinylcarbazole) devices. In addition to the theoretical optical simulation, the experimental data also confirm the origins of differential light-outcoupling enhancement. The maximum luminous efficiency and power efficiency are enhanced from 14.7 cd/A and 8.39 lm/W to 23 cd/A and 13.2 lm/W, respectively, with laminated BEF, which are both the highest so far for single-layer solution-process blue phosphorescence OLEDs with small molecule hosts

Issues of efficiency of organization management are examined in the article. Aggressive competition between companies; what’s the difference between manager and leader; who is a leader; personal qualities of strong charismatic leaders etc. Particular attention is paid to the question of possibility to become a leader or to be born a leader. В статье рассмотрены основные черты настоящего лидера, затронута тема различия между лидером и менеджером, а также освещён вопрос о том, можно ли стать...

The authors observe that the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the Iridium (III) bis(4-phenylthieno [3,2-c]pyridinato-N,C 2′ )acetylacetonate (PO-01) based yellow organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is significantly increased by uniformly co-doping Iridium (III)bis[(4,6-difluorophenyl)-pyridinato-N,C 2− ] (FIrpic) and PO-01 into the same wide band-gap host of N,N ′ -dicarbazolyl-3, 5-benzene (mCP). Detailed investigation indicates that the efficiency enhancement is ascribed to effective triplet exciton gathering by FIrpic, followed by energy transfer to PO-01. Compared to the control device, which has maximum EQE of 10.5%, an improved maximum EQE of 13.2% is obtained in the optimization white device based on FIrpic and PO-01 emission according to this principle. This work makes it easier for a single host white OLED to simultaneously harvest high efficiency in both blue and yellow units. Comprehensive experimental results show that this phenomenon can also be found and utilized in other popular hosts to realize more efficient white devices. -- Highlights: • This work makes easier for a single host white OLED to harvest high efficiency in both blue and yellow units. • Efficiency enhancement is ascribed to effective triplet exciton gathering by FIrpic, followed by energy transfer to PO-01. • This phenomenon can also be found and utilized in other popular hosts to realize more efficient white devices

The authors observe that the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the Iridium (III) bis(4-phenylthieno [3,2-c]pyridinato-N,C{sup 2′})acetylacetonate (PO-01) based yellow organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is significantly increased by uniformly co-doping Iridium (III)bis[(4,6-difluorophenyl)-pyridinato-N,C{sup 2−}] (FIrpic) and PO-01 into the same wide band-gap host of N,N{sup ′}-dicarbazolyl-3, 5-benzene (mCP). Detailed investigation indicates that the efficiency enhancement is ascribed to effective triplet exciton gathering by FIrpic, followed by energy transfer to PO-01. Compared to the control device, which has maximum EQE of 10.5%, an improved maximum EQE of 13.2% is obtained in the optimization white device based on FIrpic and PO-01 emission according to this principle. This work makes it easier for a single host white OLED to simultaneously harvest high efficiency in both blue and yellow units. Comprehensive experimental results show that this phenomenon can also be found and utilized in other popular hosts to realize more efficient white devices. -- Highlights: • This work makes easier for a single host white OLED to harvest high efficiency in both blue and yellow units. • Efficiency enhancement is ascribed to effective triplet exciton gathering by FIrpic, followed by energy transfer to PO-01. • This phenomenon can also be found and utilized in other popular hosts to realize more efficient white devices.

A series of 9-(2-naphthyl)anthracene derivatives with a triphenylsilane unit, which prevented molecular aggregation and self-quenching effect, was designed and synthesized. By using various bridges between the 9-(2-naphthyl)anthracene group and the triphenylsilane unit, five deep-blue emitters were obtained and applied as non-doped emitting materials in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with a device structure of indium–tin-oxide (ITO) (180 nm)/4,4-bis(N-(1-naphthyl)-N-phenylamino)biphenyl (NPB) (50 nm)/emitting materials (30 nm)/4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Bphen) (30 nm)/lithium quinolate (Liq) (2 nm)/Aluminium (100 nm). All devices showed blue emissions and their electroluminescence efficiencies are sensitive to the structural changes of the emitting materials. In particular, a device using 9-(2-naphthalenyl)-10-[6-(triphenylsilyl)-2-naphthalenyl]-anthracene (4) exhibited high luminous, power and quantum efficiencies of 2.28 cd/A, 1.42 lm/W and 2.40% at 20 mA/cm{sup 2}, respectively, and this device showed the deep blue emission with the CIE coordinates of (0.16, 0.10) at 6.0 V. - Highlights: • We synthesized 9-(2-naphthyl)anthracene derivatives with a triphenylsilane unit. • We study the conjugation-length effect on the electroluminescence properties. • The bulky triphenylsilane-anthracene derivatives show resistance to self-aggregation.

White organic light-emitting devices have been realized by using highly blue fluorescent dye 4,4′-Bis(2,2-diphenyl-ethen-1-yl)-4,4′-di-(tert-butyl)phenyl(p-TDPVBi) and [2-methyl-6-[2-(2, 3,6,7-tetrahydro-1H, red fluorescent dye 5H-benzo[ij] quinolizin-9-yl) ethenyl]-4H-pyran-4-ylidene] propane-dinitrile(DCM2), together with well known green fluorescent dye quinacridone (QAD). The fabrication of multilayer WOLEDs did not involve the hard-to-control doping process. The structure of the device is ITO/m-MTDATA (45 nm)/NPB(8 nm)/p-TDPVBi(15 nm)/DCM2(x nm)/Alq{sub 3} (5 nm)/QAD(y nm)/Alq{sub 3}(55 nm)/LiF(1 nm)/Al, where 4,4′,4′′-tris{N,-(3-methylphenyl)-N-phenylamine}triphenylamine (m-MTDATA) acts as a hole injection layer, N,N′-bis-(1-naphthyl)-N, N′-diphenyl-1, 1′-biph-enyl-4, 4′-diamine (NPB) acts as a hole transport layer, p-TDPVBi acts as a blue emitting layer, DCM2 acts as a red emitting layer, QAD acts as a green emitting layer, tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq{sub 3}) acts as an electron transport layer, and WOLEDs of devices A, B, C and D are different in layer thickness of DCM2 and QAD, respectively. To change the thickness of dual sub-monolayer DCM2 and QAD, the WOLEDs were obtained. When x, y=0.05, 0.1, the Commission Internationale de 1’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of the device change from (0.4458, 0.4589) at 3 V to (0.3137, 0.3455) at 12 V that are well in the white region, and the color temperature and color rendering index were 5348 K and 85 at 8 V, respectively. Its maximum luminance was 35260 cd/m{sup 2} at 12 V, and maximum current efficiency and maximum power efficiency were 13.54 cd/A at 12 V and 6.68 lm/W at 5 V, respectively. Moreover, the current efficiency is largely insensitive to the applied voltage. The electroluminescence intensity of white EL devices varied only little at deferent dual sub-monolayer. Device D exhibited relatively high color rendering index (CRI) in the range of 88–90, which was essentially

The interaction among organic cations, as the methylene blue (AM) and benzyltrimethylammonium (BTMA), and clay minerals of the group of the smectite they result in the formation of applied materials in the adsorption of organic pollutant presents in waters, soils and you cultivate. In this work they were prepared the adsorbents (organic-clays) smectite - AM and smectite-BTMA. The precursory sample of smectite was collected in Rio Branco-Acre. We were also used an smectite sample collected in Sena Madureira (SM)-Acre already characterized in previous work and a sample of standard smectite Swy-2-Na-Montmorillonite (SWy-2) of Wymong - USA. The organic agents selected for this study they were: Blue of Methylene, denominated AM and Benzyltrimethylammonium, denominated BTMA. They were appraised the capacities adsorptive of the treated samples with BTMA being used AM as adsorbate. The results of these evaluations detected that ran total adsorption of AM (concentrations varying from 1 to 10 ppm) for the treated samples with BTMA. The organic cation, BTMA, interacting with the surfaces of the natural clay was more efficient in the adsorption of AM than the clay without the previous treatment with this salt. (author)

We report the studies on photoluminescence (PL) of organic phosphor coated on a diffusing surface using a blue inorganic light-emitting diode (LED) array as an excitation source. The organic phosphor composite coated diffuser was used to scatter the directional blue light from the LED array. Some of the blue light is absorbed by the organic phosphor composite and the phosphor molecules are excited and re-emit light at longer wavelengths due to the PL process. The output light consists of scattered blue light plus phosphor generated broadband yellow light, thus making white light. The diffuser was made up of a plastic substrate coated with an organic composite of small molecule fluorescent material zinc(II)bis(8-hydroxyquinoline) (Znq 2 ) doped with different percentages of electro-phosphorescent metal complex iridium(III)bis(2-methyldibenzo-[f, h] quinoxaline) (acetylacetonate) ([Ir(MDQ) 2 (acac)]). By means of changing the concentration and the thickness of the phosphor composite material the colour coordinates of white light were achieved. The CIE coordinates and correlated colour temperature were calculated for various thicknesses and phosphor composite concentrations and the results are reported. (paper)

Fabrication of efficientblue and white polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) using a well charge balanced, core modified polyfluorene derivative, poly[2,7-(9,9'-dioctylfluorene)-co-N-phenyl-1,8-naphthalimide (99:01)] (PFONPN01), is presented. The excellent film forming properties as observed from the morphological study and the enhanced electron transport properties due to the inclusion of the NPN unit in the PFO main chain resulted in improved device properties. Bright blue light was observed from single layer PLEDs with PFONPN01 as an emissive layer (EML) as well as from double layer PLEDs using tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3) as an electron transporting layer (ETL) and LiF/Al as a cathode. The effect of ETL thickness on the device performance was studied by varying the Alq3 thickness (5 nm, 10 nm and 20 nm) and the device with an ETL thickness of 20 nm was found to exhibit the maximum brightness value of 11 662 cd m(-2) with a maximum luminous efficiency of 4.87 cd A(-1). Further, by using this highly electroluminescent blue PFONPN01 as a host and a narrow band gap, yellow emitting small molecule, dithiophene benzothiadiazole (DBT), as a guest at three different concentrations (0.2%, 0.4% and 0.6%), WPLEDs with the ITO/PEDOT:PSS/emissive layer/Alq3(20 nm)/LiF/Al configuration were fabricated and maximum brightness values of 8025 cd m(-2), 9565 cd m(-2) and 10 180 cd m(-2) were achieved respectively. 0.4% DBT in PFONPN01 was found to give white light with Commission International de l'Echairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.31, 0.38), a maximum luminous efficiency of 6.54 cd A(-1) and a color-rendering index (CRI) value of 70.

Four 9,9-diethyl-N,N-diphenyl-9 H-fluoren-2-amine substituted anthracene derivatives have been designed and synthesized by Suzuki cross coupling reactions. To explore the electroluminescent properties of these blue materials, multilayer blueorganic light-emitting diodes were fabricated in the following device structure: indium tin oxide (180 nm)/N,N’-diphenyl-N,N’-(1-napthyl)-(1,1′-phenyl)-4,4′-diamine (50 nm)/blue emitting materials (1–4) (30 nm)/bathophenanthroline (30 nm)/lithium quinolate (2 nm)/Al (100 nm). All devices appeared excellent deep-blue emissions. Among them, a device exhibited a maximum luminance of 5686 cd/m{sup 2}, the luminous, power and external quantum efficiencies of 5.11 cd/A, 3.79 lm/W, and 4.06% with the Commission International de L'Eclairage coordinates of (0.15, 0.15) at 500 cd/m{sup 2}, respectively. - Highlights: • We synthesized blue fluorescent materials based on anthracene derivatives. • The EL efficiencies of these materials depend on the quantum yields in solid states. • These materials have great potential for applications as blue emitter in OLEDs.

Full Text Available Our long-term goal is to develop wheat cultivars that will improve the profitability and competitiveness of organic producers in Nebraska and the Northern Great Plains. Our approach is to select in early generations for highly heritable traits that are needed for both organic and conventional production (another breeding goal, followed by a targeted organic breeding effort with testing at two organic locations (each in a different ecological region beginning with the F6 generation. Yield analyses from replicated trials at two organic breeding sites and 7 conventional breeding sites from F6 through F12 nurseries revealed, using analyses of variance, biplots, and comparisons of selected lines that it is inappropriate to use data from conventional testing for making germplasm selections for organic production. Selecting and testing lines under organic production practices in different ecological regions was also needed and cultivar selections for organic production were different than those for conventional production. Modifications to this breeding protocol may include growing early generation bulks in an organic cropping system. In the future, our selection efforts should also focus on using state-of-the-art, non-transgenic breeding technologies (genomic selection, marker-assisted breeding, and high throughput phenotyping to synergistically improve organic and conventional wheat breeding.

Full Text Available A white light source using direct phosphor-conversion excited by a blue laser diode is presented. In this preliminary study we have investigated the influence of phosphor’s thickness and operating current of the laser diode over the (x, y chromaticity coordinates, Correlated Color Temperature (CCT and Color Rendering Index (CRI. The best values found were 4000 K and 94. A 40 lm/W luminous efficacy was achieved together with a CRI close to 90 for an operating current of 0.8 A. Those values, to the best of our knowledge, were not previously reported in the literature.

An investigation was carried out on the effect of γ-radiation on the absorption spectra of Sudan red and Sudan blue dyes in organic solutions. A continuous decrease in the absorbance values at the absorption bands was observed with an increase of absorbed dose. The radiation sensitivities of decoloration gave widely different radiation chemical reduction yields (G-values) for the bleaching of both dyes depending on whether xylene, ethyl acetate, or chloroform was used as the solvent. On the basis of experimental results, suggestions are made concerning the dye solutions as prospective dosimeters. The following absorbed dose ranges can be covered: 10 1 -10 2 Gy by 10 -5 M Sudan red or Sudan blue in chloroform; 4 x 10 2 -4 x 10 3 Gy by 10 -5 M Sudan red or Sudan Blue in ethyl acetate; 10 3 -3 x 10 4 Gy by 5 x 10 -6 M Sudan red in xylene. (author)

We demonstrated that white emission can be obtained from nano-structured top-emitting organic light-emitting diodes (TEOLEDs) based on a blue emitting layer (EML). The nano-structured TEOLEDs were fabricated on nano-patterned substrates, in which both optical micro-cavity and scattering effects occur simultaneously. Due to the combination of these two effects, the electroluminescence spectra of the nano-structured device with a blue EML exhibited not only blue but also yellow colours, which corresponded to the intrinsic emission of the EML and the resonant emission of the micro-cavity effect. Consequently, it was possible to produce white emission from nano-structured TEOLEDs without employing a multimode micro-cavity. The intrinsic emission wavelength can be varied by altering the dopant used for the EML. Furthermore, the emissive characteristics turned out to be strongly dependent on the nano-pattern sizes of the nano-structured devices. (paper)

Indium tin oxide (ITO) is the transparent electrode of choice for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Replacing ITO for cost and performance reasons is a major drive across optoelectronics. In this work, we show that changing the transparent electrode on red, blue, and yellow OLEDs from ITO to a multilayer buffered aluminium zinc oxide/silver/aluminium zinc oxide (AZO/Ag/AZO) substantially enhances total output intensity, with better control of colour, its constancy, and intensity over the full exit hemisphere. The thin Ag containing layer induces a resonant cavity optical response of the complete device. This is tuned to the emission spectra of the emissive material while minimizing internally trapped light. A complete set of spectral intensity data is presented across the full exit hemisphere for each electrode type and each OLED colour. Emission zone modelling of output spectra at a wide range of exit angles to the normal was in excellent agreement with the experimental data and hence could, in principle, be used to check and adjust production settings. These multilayer transparent electrodes show significant potential for both eliminating indium from OLEDs and spectrally shaping the emission.

Doping-free white organic light-emitting diodes (DF-WOLEDs) are promising for the low-cost commercialization because of their simplified device structures. However, DF-WOLEDs reported thus far in the literature are based on the use of blue single molecular emitters, whose processing can represent a crucial point in device manufacture. Herein, DF-WOLEDs without the blue single molecular emitter have been demonstrated by managing a blue exciplex system. For the single-molecular-emitter (orange or yellow emitter) DF-WOLEDs, (i) a color rendering index (CRI) of 81 at 1000 cd/m2 can be obtained, which is one of the highest for the single-molecular-emitter WOLEDs, or (ii) a high efficiency of 35.4 lm/W can be yielded. For the dual-molecular-emitter (yellow/red emitters) DF-WOLED, a high CRI of 85 and low correlated color temperature of 2376 K at 1000 cd/m2 have been simultaneously achieved, which has not been reported by previous DF-WOLEDs. Such presented findings may unlock an alternative avenue to the simplified but high-performance WOLEDs.

A two-wavelength type of white organic light-emitting diode (OLED) having a blue/orange emitting layer was fabricated by synthesizing Methyl-DPVT, a new derivative of the blue-emitting material DPVBi on the market. The white-emission of the two-wavelength type was successfully obtained by representing not only blue emission by using DPVBi but also orange emission by using methyl-DPVT as a host material and Rubrene as a guest material. The basic structure of the fabricated white OLED is glass/ITO/NPB(150 A)/DPVBi/methyl-DPVT :Rubrene [2.0 wt%](100 A)/BCP(70 A)/Alq 3 (150 A)/Al(600 A). To evaluate the characteristics of the devices, we varied the thickness of the DPVBi layer from 100 A to 80 A to 60 A. A nearly pure white-emission was obtained in CIE coordinates of (0.3327, 0.3397) when the DPVBi layer was 60-A thick at an applied voltage of 11 V. The device started to operate at 1 V and to emit light at 2.5 V. The external quantum efficiency was above 0.5 % both when almost all of the current was injected and the applied voltage was over 10 V. A superior maximum quantum effciency of 0.746 % was obtained at an applied voltage of 18.5 V.

The blue-striped snapper Lutjanus kasmira (Perciformes, Lutjanidae) are cosmopolitan in the Indo-Pacific but were introduced into Oahu, Hawaii, USA, in the 1950s and have since colonized most of the archipelago. Studies of microparasites in blue-striped snappers from Hawaii revealed chlamydia-like organisms (CLO) infecting the spleen and kidney, characterized by intracellular basophilic granular inclusions containing Gram-negative and Gimenez-positive bacteria similar in appearance to epitheliocysts when seen under light microscopy. We provide molecular evidence that CLO are a new member of Chlamydiae, i.e. Candidatus Renichlamydia lutjani, that represents the first reported case of chlamydial infection in organs other than the gill in fishes.

A benzimidazole/phosphine oxide hybrid 1,3,5-tris(1-(4-(diphenylphosphoryl)phenyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)benzene (TPOB) was newly designed and synthesized as the electron-transporting component to form an exciplex-type host with the conventional hole-transporting material tris(4-carbazoyl-9-ylphenyl)amine (TCTA). Because of the enhanced triplet energy and electron affinity of TPOB, the energy leakage from exciplex-state to the constituting molecule was eliminated. Using energy transfer from exciplex-state, solution-processed blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) achieved an extremely low turn-on voltage of 2.8 V and impressively high power efficiency of 22 lm W(-1). In addition, the efficiency roll-off was very small even at luminance up to 10 000 cd m(-2), which suggested the balanced charge transfer in the emission layer. This study demonstrated that molecular modulation was an effective way to develop efficient exciplex-type host for high performanced PHOLEDs.

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 establishes American Health Benefit Exchanges. The benefit design of insurance plans in state health insurance exchanges will be based on the structure of existing small-employer-sponsored plans. The purpose of this study was to describe the structure of the physical therapy benefit in a typical Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) preferred provider organization (PPO) health insurance plan available in the individual insurance market in 2011. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The physical therapy benefit within 39 BCBS PPO plans in 2011 was studied for a standard consumer with a standard budget. First, whether physical therapy was a benefit in the plan was determined. If so, then the structure of the benefit was described in terms of whether the physical therapy benefit was a stand-alone benefit or part of a combined-discipline benefit and whether a visit or financial limit was placed on the physical therapy benefit. Physical therapy was included in all BCBS plans that were studied. Ninety-three percent of plans combined physical therapy with other disciplines. Two thirds of plans placed a limit on the number of visits covered. The results of the study are limited to 1 standard consumer, 1 association of insurance companies, 1 form of insurance (a PPO), and 1 PPO plan in each of the 39 states that were studied. Physical therapy is a covered benefit in a typical BCBS PPO health insurance plan. Physical therapy most often is combined with other therapy disciplines, and the number of covered visits is limited in two thirds of plans.

We demonstrate the combined effects of a microcavity structure and light-recycling filters (LRFs) on the forward electrical efficiency of phosphor-converted white organic light-emitting diodes (pc-WOLEDs). The introduction of a single pair of low- and high-index layers (SiO(2)/TiO(2)) improves the blue emission from blue OLED and the insertion of blue-passing and yellow-reflecting LRFs enhances the forward yellow emission from the YAG:Ce(3+) phosphors layers. The enhancement of the luminous efficacy of the forward white emission is 1.92 times that of a conventional pc-WOLED with color coordinates of (0.34, 0.34) and a correlated color temperature of about 4800 K.

Full Text Available By omitting materials subject to the labeling requirement in part 1 cold-box resin, Düker GmbH from Laufach can achieve an impressive reduction in emissions.Emission and workplace exposure limit values represent major challenges for foundries, and are becoming increasingly important due to every stricter statutory regulations. In particular, compliance with emission guidelines is essential in safeguarding company sites, and is now of equal significance as technical and economic issues. Modern foundries such as Düker GmbH from Laufachpursue a sustainable corporate policy in which the three pillars of cost-effectiveness, social responsibility and environmental protection are accorded equal importance. Düker’s example shows how the use of the new ECOCURE BLUE technology supports environmental protection and occupational health and safety, while also facilitating efficient, highly productive core production.

Following two decades of intense research globally, the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) has steadily emerged as the ultimate display technology of choice for the coming decades. Portable active matrix OLED displays have already become prevalent, and even large-sized ultra-high definition 4K TVs are being mass-produced. More exotic applications such as wearable displays have been commercialized recently. With the burgeoning success in displays, researchers are actively bringing the technology forward into the exciting solid-state lighting market. This book presents the knowledge needed for

"Code blue" (CB) is a popular hospital emergency code, which is used by hospitals to alert their emergency response team of any cardiorespiratory arrest. The factors affecting the outcomes of emergencies are related to both the patient and the nature of the event. The primary objective was to analyze the survival rate and factors associated with survival and also practical problems related to functioning of a CB system (CBS). After the approval of hospital ethics committee, an analysis and audit was conducted of all patients on whom a CB had been called in our tertiary care hospital over 24 months. Data collected were demographic data, diagnosis, time of cardiac arrest and activation of CBS, time taken by CBS to reach the patient, presenting rhythm on arrival of CB team, details of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) such as duration and drugs given, and finally, events and outcomes. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the data. A total of 720 CB calls were initiated during the period. After excluding 24 patients, 694 calls were studied and analyzed. Six hundred and twenty were true calls and 74 were falls calls. Of the 620, 422 were cardiac arrests and 198 were medical emergencies. Overall survival was 26%. Survival in patients with cardiac arrests was 11.13%. Factors such as age, presenting rhythm, and duration of CPR were found to have a significant effect on survival. Problems encountered were personnel and equipment related. A CBS is effective in improving the resuscitation efforts and survival rates after inhospital cardiac arrests. Age, presenting rhythm at the time of arrest, and duration of CPR have significant effect on survival of the patient after a cardiac arrest. Technical and staff-related problems need to be considered and improved upon.

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus related to an Organic Flash Cycle (OFC). In one aspect, a modified OFC system includes a pump, a heat exchanger, a flash evaporator, a high pressure turbine, a throttling valve, a mixer, a low pressure turbine, and a condenser. The heat exchanger is coupled to an outlet of the pump. The flash evaporator is coupled to an outlet of the heat exchanger. The high pressure turbine is coupled to a vapor outlet of the flash evaporator. The throttling valve is coupled to a liquid outlet of the flash evaporator. The mixer is coupled to an outlet of the throttling valve and to an outlet of the high pressure turbine. The low pressure turbine is coupled to an outlet of the mixer. The condenser is coupled to an outlet of the low pressure turbine and to an inlet of the pump.

The composite system can be prepared by incorporation of methylene blue into the channels of zeolite and by adsorption on the surface of the crystals. The composite photo sensitizer effectively absorbs the red light (kmax = 648 nm) and upon illumination with light-emitting diode at a fluence rate of 1.02 mW cm-2 generates effectively reactive singlet oxygen in aqueous solution, which was proved by EPR spectroscopy. To test efficiency for inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms, we measured photo killing of bacteria Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and yeasts Candida albicans. We found out that after the microorganisms have been adsorbed at the surface of such modified zeolite, the photo generated singlet oxygen quickly penetrates their cell walls, bringing about their effective photo inactivation. The growth inhibition reached almost 50 % at 200 and 400 mg modified zeolite in 1 ml of medium in E. coli and C. albicans, respectively. On the other hand, the growth inhibition of S. aureus reached 50 % at far smaller amount of photo catalyst (30 lg per 1 ml of medium). These results demonstrate differences in sensitivities of bacteria and yeast growth. The comparison revealed that concentration required for IC50 was in case of C. albicans several orders of magnitude lower for a zeolite-immobilized dye than it was for a freely dissolved dye. In S. aureus, this concentration was even lower by four orders of magnitude. Thus, our work suggested a new possibility to exploitation of zeolite and methylene blue in the protection of biologically contaminated environment, and in photodynamic therapy.

We fabricated a yellow organic light-emitting diode (OLED) based on the star-shaped donor compound tri(9-hexylcarbazol-3-yl)amine, which provides formation of the interface exciplexes with the iridium(III) bis[4,6-difluorophenyl]-pyridinato-N,C2']picolinate (FIrpic). The exciplex emission is characterized by a broad band and provides a condition to realize the highly effective white OLED. It consists of a combination of the blue phosphorescent emission from the FIrpic complex and a broad efficient delayed fluorescence induced by thermal activation with additional direct phosphorescence from the triplet exciplex formed at the interface. The fabricated exciplex-type device exhibits a high brightness of 38 000 cd/m(2) and a high external quantum efficiency.

In recent years the performance of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) has reached a level where OLED lighting presents an interesting application target. Research activities therefore focus amongst other things on the development of high efficient and stable white light emitting devices. We demonstrate how the color coordinates can be adjusted to achieve a warm white emission spectrum, whereas the OLED stack contains phosphorescent red and green dyes combined with a fluorescent blue one. Detailed results are presented with respect to a variation of layer thicknesses and dopant concentrations of the emission layers. Furthermore the influence of various dye molecules and hence different energy level alignments between host and dopants on color and efficiency will be discussed.

Three different theoretical approaches are presented to identify pathways to organic solar cells with power conversion efficiencies in excess of 20%. A radiation limit for organic solar cells is introduced that elucidates the role of charge-transfer (CT) state absorption. Provided this CT action is

Full Text Available In this paper, we investigate the carrier injection and transport characteristics in iridium(IIIbis[4,6-(di-fluorophenyl-pyridinato-N,C2']picolinate (FIrpic doped phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs with oxadiazole (OXD as the bipolar host material of the emitting layer (EML. When doping Firpic inside the OXD, the driving voltage of OLEDs greatly decreases because FIrpic dopants facilitate electron injection and electron transport from the electron-transporting layer (ETL into the EML. With increasing dopant concentration, the recombination zone shifts toward the anode side, analyzed with electroluminescence (EL spectra. Besides, EL redshifts were also observed with increasing driving voltage, which means the electron mobility is more sensitive to the electric field than the hole mobility. To further investigate carrier injection and transport characteristics, FIrpic was intentionally undoped at different positions inside the EML. When FIrpic was undoped close to the ETL, driving voltage increased significantly which proves the dopant-assisted-electron-injection characteristic in this OLED. When the undoped layer is near the electron blocking layer, the driving voltage is only slightly increased, but the current efficiency is greatly reduced because the main recombination zone was undoped. However, non-negligible FIrpic emission is still observed which means the recombination zone penetrates inside the EML due to certain hole-transporting characteristics of the OXD.

The demand for highly efficient and energy saving illumination has increased considerably during the last decades. Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are promising candidates for future lighting technologies. They offer high efficiency along with excellent color quality, allowing substantially lower power consumption than traditional illuminants. Recently, especially top-emitting devices have attracted high interest due to their compatibility with opaque substrates like metal sheets. In this contribution, we demonstrate top-emitting OLEDs with white emission spectra employing a multilayer hybrid cavity structure with two highly efficient phosphorescent emitter materials for orange-red (Ir(MDQ)2(acac)) and green (Ir(ppy)3) emission as well as the stable fluorescent blue emitter TBPe. To improve the OLED performance and modify the color quality, two different electron blocking layers and anode material combinations are tested. Compared to Lambertian emission, our devices show considerably enhanced forward emission, which is preferred for most lighting applications. Besides broadband emission and angle independent emission maxima, power efficiencies of 13.3 lm/W at 3 V and external quantum efficiencies of 5.3% are achieved. The emission shows excellent CIE coordinates of (0.420,0.407) at approx. 1000 cd/m{sup 2} and color rendering indices up to 77.

The development of white organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) holds great promise for the production of highly efficient large-area light sources. High internal quantum efficiencies for the conversion of electrical energy to light have been realized. Nevertheless, the overall device power efficiencies are still considerably below the 60-70 lumens per watt of fluorescent tubes, which is the current benchmark for novel light sources. Although some reports about highly power-efficient white OLEDs exist, details about structure and the measurement conditions of these structures have not been fully disclosed: the highest power efficiency reported in the scientific literature is 44 lm W(-1) (ref. 7). Here we report an improved OLED structure which reaches fluorescent tube efficiency. By combining a carefully chosen emitter layer with high-refractive-index substrates, and using a periodic outcoupling structure, we achieve a device power efficiency of 90 lm W(-1) at 1,000 candelas per square metre. This efficiency has the potential to be raised to 124 lm W(-1) if the light outcoupling can be further improved. Besides approaching internal quantum efficiency values of one, we have also focused on reducing energetic and ohmic losses that occur during electron-photon conversion. We anticipate that our results will be a starting point for further research, leading to white OLEDs having efficiencies beyond 100 lm W(-1). This could make white-light OLEDs, with their soft area light and high colour-rendering qualities, the light sources of choice for the future.

Blue In 0.2 Ga 0.8 N multiple quantum wells (MQWs) with In x Ga 1–x N (x = 0.01–0.04) barriers are grown by metal organic vapour phase epitaxy. The internal quantum efficiencies (IQEs) of these MQWs are studied in a way of temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectra. Furthermore, a 2-channel Arrhenius model is used to analyse the nonradiative recombination centres (NRCs). It is found that by adopting the InGaN barrier beneath the lowest well, it is possible to reduce the strain hence the NRCs in InGaN MQWs. By optimizing the thickness and the indium content of the InGaN barriers, the IQEs of InGaN/InGaN MQWs can be increased by about 2.5 times compared with conventional InGaN/GaN MQWs. On the other hand, the incorporation of indium atoms into the intermediate barriers between adjacent wells does not improve IQE obviously. In addition, the indium content of the intermediate barriers should match with that of the lowest barrier to avoid relaxation. (condensed matter: structure, thermal and mechanical properties)

Full Text Available The modern widely-held joint-stock corporation appears to epitomize the economically efficient large-scale organization. Some scholars observe, however, that other types of organizations, including government-owned enterprises, have also achieved high degrees of efficiency and that some joint stock corporations have been inefficient. It is here argued that the economic efficiency of organizations is largely a function of two major variables—markets tructure and incentives within the organization—and not organizational form or ownership structure per se. Case studies of two business firms: a mutual life insurer and a family-controlled publisher, and two industries: higher education and custom construction, demonstrate the importance of internal incentives and market structures to organizational economic efficiency.

Bisphenol A (BPA) and other organic pollutants from industrial wastewater have drawn increasing concern in the past decades regarding their environmental and biological risks, and hence developing strategies of effective degradation of BPA and other organic pollutants is imperative. Metal oxide nanostructures, in particular titanium oxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO), have been demonstrated to exhibit efficient photodegradation of various common organic dyes. ZnO tetrapods are of special interest due to their low density of native defects which consequently lead to lower recombination losses and higher photocatalytic efficiency. Tetrapods can be obtained by relatively simple and low-cost vapor phase deposition in large quantity; the micron-scale size would also be advantageous for catalyst recovery. In this study, the photodegradation of BPA with ZnO tetrapods and TiO2 nanostructures under UV illumination were compared. The concentration of BPA dissolved in DI water was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) at specified time intervals. It was observed that the photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO tetrapods eventually surpassed Degussa P25 in free-standing form, and more than 80% of BPA was degraded after 60 min. Photodegradation of other organic dye pollutants by tetrapods and P25 were also examined. The superior photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO tetrapods for degradation of BPA and other organic dye pollutants and its correlation with the material properties were discussed.

The central idea of process-based organization design is that organizing a firm around core business processes leads to cost reductions and quality improvements. We investigated theoretically and empirically whether the implementation of a process-based organization design is advisable in hospitals. The data came from a database compiled by the Statistical Office of the German federal state of Rheinland-Pfalz and from a written questionnaire, which was sent to the chief executive officers (CEOs) of all 92 hospitals in this federal state. We used data envelopment analysis (DEA) to measure hospital efficiency, and factor analysis and regression analysis to test our hypothesis. Our principal finding is that a high degree of process-based organization has a moderate but significant positive effect on the efficiency of hospitals. The main implication is that hospitals should implement a process-based organization to improve their efficiency. However, to actually achieve positive effects on efficiency, it is of paramount importance to observe some implementation rules, in particular to mobilize physician participation and to create an adequate organizational culture.

Organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) are emerging field of research in renewable energy. The development of OPVs in recent years has made this technology viable for many niche applications. In order to realize widespread application however, the power conversion efficiency requires further improvement. The efficiency of an OPV depends on the short-circuit current density (JSC), open-circuit voltage (VOC) and fill factor (FF). For state-of-the-art devices, JSC is mostly optimized with the application of novel low-bandgap materials and a bulk heterojunction device architecture (internal quantum efficiency approaching 100%). The remaining limiting factors are the low VOC and FF. This work focuses on overcoming these bottlenecks for improved efficiency. Temperature dependent measurements of device performance are used to examine both charge transfer and exciton ionization process in OPVs. The results permit an improved understanding of the intrinsic limit for VOC in various device architectures and provide insight on device operation. Efforts have also been directed at engineering device architecture for optimized FF, realizing a very high efficiency of 8% for vapor deposited small molecule OPVs. With collaborators, new molecules with tailored desired energy levels are being designed for further improvements in efficiency. A new type of hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite material is also included in this study. By addressing processing issues and anomalous hysteresis effects, a very high efficiency of 19.1% is achieved. Moving forward, topics including engineering film crystallinity, exploring tandem architectures and understanding degradation mechanisms will further push OPVs toward broad commercialization.

We show that the power conversion efficiency of organic photovoltaic devices based on a conjugated polymer/methanofullerene blend is dramatically affected by molecular morphology. By structuring the blend to be a more intimate mixture that contains less phase segregation of methanofullerenes, and

It is widely accepted that efficiency of organic solar cells could be limited by their size. However, the published data on this effect are very limited and none of them includes analysis of light intensity dependence of the key cell parameters. We report such analysis for bulk heterojunction sol...

Most previous studies attributed the alleviation of aerosol pollution to either emission control measures or favorable meteorological conditions. However, our understanding of their quantitative contribution is far from complete. In this study, based on model simulation using the CMA (China Meteorological Administration) Unified Atmospheric Chemistry Environment for aerosols (CUACE/Aero), in combination with simultaneous ground-based hourly PM2.5 observations, we aim to quantify the relative contributions of the emission control measures and meteorology to the blue-skies seen in Beijing during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in November of 2014. A series of model simulations have been performed over Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region by implementing nine different emission control schemes. To investigate the relative contributions of the emission control measures and meteorology, the study period has been divided into five episodes. Overall, the CUACE/Aero model can reasonably well reproduce the temporal and spatial evolution of PM2.5 during APEC 2014, although the model performance varies by different time periods and regions of interest. Model results show the emission control measures on average reduced the PM2.5 concentration by 41.3% in urban areas of Beijing and 39.7% in Huairou district, respectively, indicating emission control plays a significant role for the blue skies observed. Among all the emission control measures under investigation, local emission control in Beijing contributed the largest to the reduction of PM2.5 concentrations with a reduction of 35.5% in urban area of Beijing and 34.8% in Huairou, in contrast with the vehicle emission control in Hebei that contributed the least with a reduction of less than 1%. The emission control efficiency in five episodes has been assessed quantitatively, which falls in the range of 36.2%-41.2% in urban area of Beijing and 34.9%-40.7% in Huairou, indicative of no significant episode

The electron-accepting [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridine (TP) moiety was introduced to build bipolar host materials for the first time, and two host materials based on this TP acceptor and carbazole donor, namely, 9,9'-(2-([1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-2-yl)-1,3-phenylene)bis(9H-carbazole) (o-CzTP) and 9,9'-(5-([1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-2-yl)-1,3-phenylene)bis(9H-carbazole) (m-CzTP), were designed and synthesized. These two TP-based host materials possess a high triplet energy (>2.9 eV) and appropriate highest occupied molecular orbital/lowest unoccupied molecular orbital levels as well as the bipolar transporting feature, which permits their applicability as universal host materials in multicolor phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices (PhOLEDs). Blue, green, and red PhOLEDs based on o-CzTP and m-CzTP with the same device configuration all show high efficiencies and low efficiency roll-off. The devices hosted by o-CzTP exhibit maximum external quantum efficiencies (η ext ) of 27.1, 25.0, and 15.8% for blue, green, and red light emitting, respectively, which are comparable with the best electroluminescene performance reported for FIrpic-based blue, Ir(ppy) 3 -based green, and Ir(pq) 2 (acac)-based red PhOLEDs equipped with a single-component host. The white PhOLEDs based on the o-CzTP host and three lumophors containing red, green, and blue emitting layers were fabricated with the same device structure, which exhibit a maximum current efficiency and η c of 40.4 cd/A and 17.8%, respectively, with the color rendering index value of 75.

This study is an attempt to desulfurize organic sulfur from coal samples with ferric hexacyanoferrate (II), Fe{sub 4} (Fe(CN){sub 6}), as the desulfurization agent. Effect of temperature, particle size and concentration of ferrocyanide ion on desulfurization from the coal samples has been investigated. The temperature and stirring time are the most important parameters for the level of desulfurization of organic sulfur. Removal of organic sulfur content increased continuously with increasing temperature from 298 to 368 K. The organic sulfur removal rate sharply increases from 10 min to 30 min stirring time. After 30 min, it reaches a value of plateau. Particle size between -100 mesh and -200 mesh slightly affects the amount of organic sulfur removal. Gradual increase in the concentration of ferric hexacyanoferrate (II) raised the magnitude of desulfurization, but at higher concentration, the variation is not significant.

We demonstrate the feasibility of using direct contact-printing in the fabrication of monochromatic and polychromatic organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Bright devices with red, green, blue, and white contact-printed light-emitting layers with a respective maximum luminance of 29 000, 29 000, 4000, and 18 000 cd/m2 were obtained with sound film integrity by blending a polymeric host into a molecular host. For the red OLED as example, the maximum luminance was decreased from 29 000 to 5000 cd/m2 as only the polymeric host was used, or decreased to 7000 cd/m2 as only the molecular host was used. The markedly improved device performance achieved in the devices with blended hosts may be attributed to the employed polymeric host that contributed a good film-forming character, and the molecular host that contributed a good electroluminescence character.

Nanocomposites of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals integrated into conjugated polymers are the key to soft-material hybrid optoelectronics, combining advantages of both plastics and particles. Synergic combination of the favorable properties in the hybrids of colloidal nanocrystals and conjugated polymers offers enhanced performance and new functionalities in light-generation and light-harvesting applications, where controlling and mastering the excitonic interactions at the nanoscale are essential. In this Perspective, we highlight and critically consider the excitonic interactions in the organic-inorganic nanocomposites to achieve highly efficient exciton transfer through rational design of the nanocomposites. The use of strong excitonic interactions in optoelectronic devices can trigger efficiency breakthroughs in hybrid optoelectronics.

Full Text Available The study examines the performance of tax organizations in Greece, based on data obtained from a sample of 35 tax offices. Performance evaluation was conducted using DEA with bootstrap methods. In addition, Tobit regression analysis was employed to examine the environmental variables that impact on the efficiency performance of these tax offices. From the analysis, weaknesses, and management issues are derived from the tax offices inefficiency. The general conclusion is that a robust governance structure within the tax office operational framework is needed in order to improve organisational efficiency.

We demonstrate the role of zinc oxide (ZnO) morphology and addition of an acceptor interlayer to achieve high efficiency fullerene-free bulk heterojunction inverted organic solar cells. Nanopatterning of the ZnO buffer layer enhances the effective light absorption in the active layer, and the insertion of a twisted perylene acceptor layer planarizes and decreases the electron extraction barrier. Along with an increase in current homogeneity, the reduced work function difference and selective transport of electrons prevent the accumulation of charges and decrease the electron-hole recombination at the interface. These factors enable an overall increase of efficiency to 4.6%, which is significant for a fullerene-free solution-processed organic solar cell.

An efficient phosphorescent white organic light emitting-diode with a red-green-blue tri-emitting-layer structure is reported. The host of the red dopant possesses a lower triplet-energy than the green dye. An interlayer step-wise triplet transfer via blue dye → green dye → red host → red dye is achieved. This mechanism allows an efficient triplet harvesting by the three dopants, thus maintaining a balanced white light and reducing energy loss. Moreover, the color stability of the device is improved significantly. The white device not only achieves a peak external quantum efficiency of 21.1 ± 0.8% and power efficiency of 37.5 ± 1.4 lm/W but shows no color shift over a wide range of voltages.

This work deals with novel concepts to realize high efficiency white OLEDs by combining fluorescent blue and phosphorescent green and orange emitters. A key point determining the maximum efficiency possible, as well as the device structure to be chosen to reach high efficiency, is the triplet exciton energy of the fluorescent blue emitter. If its triplet state is lower than that of the phosphorescent emitters, mutual exciton quenching can occur. This problem is solved by the first concept with spatial separation of the fluorescent blue from the phosphorescent emitters by a large-gap exciton blocking layer. To still realize exciton generation on both sides, the interlayer has to be ambipolar. On the other hand, if the triplet exciton energy of the fluorescent blue is higher than that of at least one of the phosphorescent emitters, appropriate arrangement of the emission layers makes a separation layer obsolete, since phosphorescence quenching does not occur anymore. Moreover, the intrinsically non-radiative triplet excitons of the fluorescent blue emitter may be harvested by the phosphor for light emission, which means that even 100% internal quantum efficiency is possible. The last chapter 6 deals with this second concept, where the main issue is to simultaneously achieve exciton harvesting as complete as possible and a balanced white emission spectrum by appropriately distributing singlet and triplet excitons to the used emitters. All emitters used in this work are commercially available and their molecular structure is disclosed in order to make the results transparent. (orig.)

Using a narrow band gap host of bis[2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-pyridine]beryllium (Bepp{sub 2}) and green phosphorescent Ir(ppy){sub 3} [fac-tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium III] guest concentration as low as 2%, high efficiency phosphorescent organic light-emitting diode (PHOLED) is realized. Current and power efficiencies of 62.5 cd/A (max.), 51.0 lm/W (max.), and external quantum efficiency (max.) of 19.8% are reported in this green PHOLED. A low current efficiency roll-off value of 10% over the brightness of 10,000 cd/m{sup 2} is noticed in this Bepp{sub 2} single host device. Such a high efficiency is obtained by the optimization of the doping concentration with the knowledge of the hole trapping and the emission zone situations in this host-guest system. It is suggested that the reported device performance is suitable for applications in high brightness displays and lighting.

Doping is an extremely important process where intentional insertion of impurities in semiconductors controls their electronic properties. In organic semiconductors, one of the convenient, but inefficient, ways of doping is the spin casting of a precursor mixture of components in solution, followed by solvent evaporation. Active control over this process holds the key to significant improvements over current poor doping efficiencies. Yet, an optimized control can only come from a detailed understanding of electronic interactions responsible for the low doping efficiencies. Here, we use two-dimensional nonlinear optical spectroscopy to examine these interactions in the course of the doping process by probing the solution mixture of doped organic semiconductors. A dopant accepts an electron from the semiconductor and the two ions form a duplex of interacting charges known as ion-pair complexes. Well-resolved off-diagonal peaks in the two-dimensional spectra clearly demonstrate the electronic connectivity among the ions in solution. This electronic interaction represents a well resolved electrostatically bound state, as opposed to a random distribution of ions. We developed a theoretical model to recover the experimental data, which reveals an unexpectedly strong electronic coupling of ∼250 cm -1 with an intermolecular distance of ∼4.5 Å between ions in solution, which is approximately the expected distance in processed films. The fact that this relationship persists from solution to the processed film gives direct evidence that Coulomb interactions are retained from the precursor solution to the processed films. This memory effect renders the charge carriers equally bound also in the film and, hence, results in poor doping efficiencies. This new insight will help pave the way towards rational tailoring of the electronic interactions to improve doping efficiencies in processed organic semiconductor thin films.

Compounds that emit blue light are of interest for applications that include optoelectronic devices and chemo/biosensing and imaging. The design and synthesis of small organic molecules that can act as high-efficiency deep-blue-light emitters in the solid state and can be easily processed from solutions represents a significant challenge. Herein we present the preparation and photophysical, photochemical and electrochemical properties of a series of triazolopyridinium and triazoloquinolinium compounds. The compounds are soluble in water or polar organic solvents and exhibit photoluminescence in the blue region of the spectrum in fluid solution, in the solid state and in a frozen matrix.

Ultrathin emissive layers (UEMLs) of phosphorescent materials with a layer thickness of less than 0.3 nm were introduced for high-efficiencyorganic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). All the UEMLs for white OLEDs can be prepared without the use of interlayers or spacers. Compared with devices fabricated with interlayers inserted in-between the UEMLs, our spacer-free structure not only significantly improves device efficiency, but also simplifies the fabrication process, thus it has a great potential in lowering the cost of OLED panels. In addition, its spacer-free structure decreases the number of interfaces which often introduce unnecessary energy barriers in these devices. In the present work, UEMLs of red, green and blue-emitting phosphorescent materials and yellow and blue phosphorescent emitters are utilized for the demonstration of spacer-free white OLEDs. Upon optimization of the device structure, we demonstrated spacer-free and simple-structured white-emitting OLEDs with a good device performance. The current and power efficiencies of our white-emitting devices are as high as 56.0 cd/A and 55.5 lm/W, respectively. These efficiencies are the highest ever reported for OLEDs fabricated with the UEML approach.

Self-organized packet radio networks (ad-hoc networks) and wireless sensor networks have got massive attention recently. One of critical problems in such networks is the energy efficiency, because wireless nodes are usually powered by battery. Energy efficiency design can dramatically increase the survivability and stability of wireless ad-hoc/sensor networks. In this thesis the energy efficiency has been considered at different protocol layers for wireless ad-hoc/sensor networks. The energy consumption of wireless nodes is inspected at the physical layer and MAC layer. At the network layer, some current routing protocols are compared and special attention has been paid to reactive routing protocols. A minimum hop analysis is given and according to the analysis result, a modification of AODV routing is proposed. A variation of transmit power can be also applied to clustering algorithm, which is believed to be able to control the scalability of network. Clustering a network can also improve the energy efficiency. We offer a clustering scheme based on the link state measurement and variation of transmit power of intra-cluster and inter-cluster transmission. Simulation shows that it can achieve both targets. In association with the clustering algorithm, a global synchronization scheme is proposed to increase the efficiency of clustering algorithm. The research attention has been also paid to self-organization for multi-hop cellular networks. A 2-hop 2-slot uplink proposal to infrastructure-based cellular networks. The proposed solution can significantly increase the throughput of uplink communication and reduce the energy consumption of wireless terminals. (orig.)

persistence, potential for biomagnification and the increased toxicity of organic tritium increases the potential impact on the environment following a release of HTO; current legislation does not adequately take into account the nature of organic forms of tritium and therefore may be underestimating accumulation and toxic effect of tritium in the environment. Such information is necessary to accurately assess the distribution of tritium following routine releases, and to adequately protect the environment and humans. - Highlights: ► Tritium was bioaccumulated into organic tritium in phytoplankton cells. ► Green algae incorporated more tritium than the cyanobacteria. ► Organic tritium was transferred from phytoplankton to blue mussels when ingested. ► Linear uptake of tritium into mussels indicates a potential for biomagnification. ► Current legislation may underestimate accumulation of tritium in the environment.

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: The putrefactive activity of organisms such as diplopods in the edaphic macrof auna can be leveraged to promote the transformation of agricultural and urban waste into a low-cost substrate for the production of vegetable seedlings. This research aimed to evaluate: (1 the quantity of Gervais millipedes ( Trigoniulus corallinus needed to produce an acceptable quantity of organic compost; (2 the main physical and chemical characteristics of different compost types; and (3 compost efficiency in the production of lettuce seedlings. The first experiment lasted 90 days and was conducted using 6.5L of Gliricidia, 6.5L of Flemingia, 13.5L of grass cuttings, 4.5L of cardboard, 4.5L of coconut husk, and 4.5L of corncob. Treatments consisting of 0, 0.10, 0.30, 0.50, and 0.90L of millipedes were applied. This experiment compared millicompost and vermicompost, using four repetitions. After 23 days, the heights of grown lettuce plants and the weights of the fresh and dry mass of above ground lettuce and of the roots were assessed. A millipede volume of 0.1L proved to be sufficient for the production of an acceptable volume of organic compost. However, the addition of greater volumes leads to increased calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous content. Millicompost has similar physicochemical characteristics those of vermicompost, and both are equally efficient as a substrate for the production of lettuce seedlings.

Nowadays, the use of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) in decentralised applications is linked with the fact that this process allows the use of low temperature heat sources and offers an advantageous efficiency in small-scale concepts. Many state-of-the-art and innovative applications can successfully use the ORC process. In this process, according to the heat source level, special attention must be drawn to the choice of the appropriate working fluid, which is a factor that affects the thermal and exergetic efficiency of the cycle. The investigation of supercritical parameters of various working fluids in ORC applications seems to bring promising results concerning the efficiency of the application. This paper presents the results from a simulation of the ORC and the optimization potential of the process when using supercritical parameters. In order to optimize the process, various working fluids are considered and compared concerning their thermal efficiency and the usable percentage of heat. The reduction of exergy losses is discussed based on the need of surplus heat exchanger surface. (author)

This article describes how the Solliance Organic PhotoVoltaics (OPV) shared research Program addresses efficiency, lifetime and production costs for (near) future OPV applications. The balance of these three parameters depends of the envisaged application, but at the end, OPV should be able to compete somehow with Si PV in the future. Efficiency improvements are realized by developing new materials, by exploring and optimizing new device structures and novel interconnection technologies. Lifetime improvements are realized by using stabilized device stacks and materials and by applying high end flexible barriers. Production cost control is done by using a home made Cost of Ownership tool which guides towards the use of low-cost materials and processes.

White organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) used for display application and lighting need to possess high efficiency, high brightness, and low driving voltage. In this work, white OLEDs consisted of ambipolar 9,10-bis 2-naphthyl anthracene (ADN) as a host of blue light-emitting layer (EML) doped with tetrabutyleperlene (TBPe) and a thin codoped layer consisted of N, N'-bis(naphthalen-1-yl)-N,N'-bis(phenyl)-benzidine (NPB) as a host of yellow light-emitting layer doped with 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-tert-butyl-6-(1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidin-4-yl-vinyl)-4H-pyran (DCJTB) were investigated. With appropriate tuning in the film thickness, position, and dopant concentration of the co-doped layer, a white OLED with a luminance yield of 10.02 cd/A with the CIE coordinates of (0.29, 0.33) has been achieved at a bias voltage of 9 V and a luminance level of over 10,000 cd/m2. By introducing the PIN structure with both HIL and bis(10- hydroxybenzo-quinolinato)-beryllium (BeBq2) ETL, the power efficiency of white OLED was improved.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing was applied for the fabrication of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) framework. Functionalization of the ABS framework was then performed by coating of porous Cu-BTC (BTC = benzene tricarboxylic acid) metal-organic frameworks on it using a step-by-step in-situ growth. The size of the Cu-BTC particles on ABS was ranged from 200 nm to 900 nm. The Cu-BTC/ABS framework can take up most of the space of the tubular reactor that makes the adsorption effective with no need of stirring. Methylene blue (MB) can be readily removed from aqueous solution by this Cu-BTC/ABS framework. The MB removal efficiency for solutions with concentrations of 10 and 5 mg/L was 93.3% and 98.3%, respectively, within 10 min. After MB adsorption, the Cu-BTC/ABS composite can easily be recovered without the need for centrifugation or filtration and the composite is reusable. In addition the ABS framework can be recovered for subsequent reuse. A significant advantage of 3D-printed frameworks is that different frameworks can be easily fabricated to meet the needs of different applications. This is a promising strategy to synthesize new frameworks using MOFs and polymers to develop materials for applications beyond adsorption. PMID:25089616

Coastal wetlands store disproportionately large amounts of carbon due to high rates of net primary productivity and slow microbial degradation of organic matter in water-saturated soils. Wide spatial and temporal variability in plant communities and soil biogeochemistry necessitate location-specific quantification of carbon stocks to improve current wetland carbon inventories and future projections. We apply field measurements, remote sensing technology, and spatiotemporal models to quantify regional carbon storage and to model future spatial variability of carbon stocks in mangroves and coastal marshes in Southwest Florida. We examine soil carbon accumulation and accretion rates on time scales ranging from decadal to millennial to project responses to climate change, including variations in inundation and salinity. Once freshwater and oligohaline wetlands are exposed to increased duration and spatial extent of inundation and salinity from seawater, soil redox potential, soil respiration, and the intensification of osmotic stress to vegetation and the soil microbial community can affect the soil C balance potentially increasing rates of mineralization.

Full Text Available The location and contextual status (indoor or outdoor is fundamental and critical information for upper-layer applications, such as activity recognition and location-based services (LBS for individuals. In addition, optimizations of building management systems (BMS, such as the pre-cooling or heating process of the air-conditioning system according to the human traffic entering or exiting a building, can utilize the information, as well. The emerging mobile devices, which are equipped with various sensors, become a feasible and flexible platform to perform indoor-outdoor (IO detection. However, power-hungry sensors, such as GPS and WiFi, should be used with caution due to the constrained battery storage on mobile device. We propose BlueDetect: an accurate, fast response and energy-efficient scheme for IO detection and seamless LBS running on the mobile device based on the emerging low-power iBeacon technology. By leveraging the on-broad Bluetooth module and our proposed algorithms, BlueDetect provides a precise IO detection service that can turn on/off on-board power-hungry sensors smartly and automatically, optimize their performances and reduce the power consumption of mobile devices simultaneously. Moreover, seamless positioning and navigation services can be realized by it, especially in a semi-outdoor environment, which cannot be achieved by GPS or an indoor positioning system (IPS easily. We prototype BlueDetect on Android mobile devices and evaluate its performance comprehensively. The experimental results have validated the superiority of BlueDetect in terms of IO detection accuracy, localization accuracy and energy consumption.

The location and contextual status (indoor or outdoor) is fundamental and critical information for upper-layer applications, such as activity recognition and location-based services (LBS) for individuals. In addition, optimizations of building management systems (BMS), such as the pre-cooling or heating process of the air-conditioning system according to the human traffic entering or exiting a building, can utilize the information, as well. The emerging mobile devices, which are equipped with various sensors, become a feasible and flexible platform to perform indoor-outdoor (IO) detection. However, power-hungry sensors, such as GPS and WiFi, should be used with caution due to the constrained battery storage on mobile device. We propose BlueDetect: an accurate, fast response and energy-efficient scheme for IO detection and seamless LBS running on the mobile device based on the emerging low-power iBeacon technology. By leveraging the on-broad Bluetooth module and our proposed algorithms, BlueDetect provides a precise IO detection service that can turn on/off on-board power-hungry sensors smartly and automatically, optimize their performances and reduce the power consumption of mobile devices simultaneously. Moreover, seamless positioning and navigation services can be realized by it, especially in a semi-outdoor environment, which cannot be achieved by GPS or an indoor positioning system (IPS) easily. We prototype BlueDetect on Android mobile devices and evaluate its performance comprehensively. The experimental results have validated the superiority of BlueDetect in terms of IO detection accuracy, localization accuracy and energy consumption.

Highlights: • A highly energy-efficient flow-through electro-Fenton reactor was designed. • It had high H 2 O 2 yield and low energy consumption for organic pollutants degradation. • The effect of operational parameters was optimized and possible process mechanism was studied. • The novel system performed wide practicability and potential for organic pollutants degradation. - Abstract: A highly energy-efficient flow-through Electro-Fenton (E-Fenton) reactor for oxidation of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution was designed using a perforated DSA as anode and the graphite felt modified by carbon black and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as cathode for the in situ generation of H 2 O 2 . The modified cathode had a high H 2 O 2 production with low energy consumption, which was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption-desorption study and contact angle. The flow-through E-Fenton system was compared to the flow-by and regular one, and confirmed to be best on MB removal and TOC degradation. The operational parameters such as current density, pH, Fe 2+ concentration and flow rate were optimized. The MB and TOC removal efficiency of the effluents could keep above 90% and 50%, respectively, and the energy consumption was 23.0 kWh/kgTOC at the current density of 50 mA, pH 3, 0.3 mM Fe 2+ , and the flow rate of 7 mL/min. ·OH was proved to be the main oxidizing species in this system. After 5 times operation, the system, especially cathode, still showed good stability. Five more organic pollutants including orange II (OG), tartrazine, acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), tetracycline (TC) and 2,4-dichlorophen (2,4-DCP) were investigated and the electric energy consumption (EEC) was compared with literatures. All results demonstrated that this flow-through E-Fenton system was energy-efficient and potential for degradation of organic pollutants.

In this work, a new method for the fabrication of organic solar cells containing functional light-trapping nanostructures on flexible substrates is presented. Polyimide is spin-coated on silicon support substrates, enabling standard micro- and nanotechnology fabrication techniques, such as photolithography and electron-beam lithography, besides the steps required for the bulk-heterojunction organic solar cell fabrication. After the production steps, the solar cells on polyimide are peeled off the silicon support substrates, resulting in flexible devices containing nanostructures for light absorption enhancement. Since the solar cells avoid using brittle electrodes, the performance of the flexible devices is not affected by the peeling process. We have investigated three different nanostructured grating designs and conclude that gratings with a 500 nm pitch distance have the highest light-trapping efficiency for the selected active layer material (P3HT:PCBM), resulting in an enhancement of about 34% on the solar cell efficiency. The presented method can be applied to a large variety of flexible nanostructured devices in future applications. (paper)

Despite the poor screening of the Coulomb potential in organic semiconductors, excitons can dissociate efficiently into free charges at a donor-acceptor heterojunction, leading to application in organic solar cells. A kinetic Monte Carlo model that explains this high efficiency as a two-step process is presented. Driven by the band offset between donor and acceptor, one of the carriers first hops across the interface, forming a charge transfer (CT) complex. Since the electron and hole forming the CT complex have typically not relaxed within the disorder-broadened density of states (DOS), their remaining binding energy can be overcome by further relaxation in the DOS. The model only contains parameters that are determined from independent measurements and predicts dissociation yields in excess of 90% for a prototypical heterojunction. Field, temperature, and band offset dependencies are investigated and found to be in agreement with earlier experiments. Whereas the investigated heterojunctions have substantial energy losses associated with the dissociation process, these results suggest that it is possible to reach high dissociation yields at low energy loss. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

In this work, we demonstrate an efficient cascade multiple heterojunction organic solar cell with inverted structure. By using two donor materials, poly(3-hexylthiosphene) (P3HT) and titanyl phthalocyanine (TiOPc), as well as two acceptor materials, [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and C60, the cascade multiple heterojunctions of P3HT:PCBM/TiOPc:C60/C60 have been constructed. Applying the optimized inverted configuration of FTO/Zinc Tin Oxide (ZTO)/C60 (30 nm)/TiOPc:C60 (1:1.5, 25 nm)/P3HT:PCBM (1:0.8, 100 nm)/MoO3 (4 nm)/Ag, the considerably enhanced open circuit voltage (VOC) and short circuit current (JSC) can be harvested together, and the power conversion efficiency (PCE) is three times higher than that of the control cell with conventional structure. The significant improvements of the inverted cell are mostly due to the broadened spectral absorption and high efficient multi-interface exciton dissociation in the cascade multiple heterojunctions, indicating that the optimized cascade heterojunctions match the inverted structure well.

Multi-reservoir system planners should consider how new dams impact downstream reservoirs and the potential contribution of each component to coordinated management. We propose an optimized multi-criteria screening approach to identify best performing designs, i.e., the selection, size and operating rules of new reservoirs within multi-reservoir systems. Reservoir release operating rules and storage sizes are optimized concurrently for each separate infrastructure design under consideration. Outputs reveal system trade-offs using multi-dimensional scatter plots where each point represents an approximately Pareto-optimal design. The method is applied to proposed Blue Nile River reservoirs in Ethiopia, where trade-offs between total and firm energy output, aggregate storage and downstream irrigation and energy provision for the best performing designs are evaluated. This proof-of concept study shows that recommended Blue Nile system designs would depend on whether monthly firm energy or annual energy is prioritized. 39 TWh/yr of energy potential is available from the proposed Blue Nile reservoirs. The results show that depending on the amount of energy deemed sufficient, the current maximum capacities of the planned reservoirs could be larger than they need to be. The method can also be used to inform which of the proposed reservoir type and their storage sizes would allow for the highest downstream benefits to Sudan in different objectives of upstream operating objectives (i.e., operated to maximize either average annual energy or firm energy). The proposed approach identifies the most promising system designs, reveals how they imply different trade-offs between metrics of system performance, and helps system planners asses the sensitivity of overall performance to the design parameters of component reservoirs.

A series of group III metal chelates have been synthesized and characterized for the versatile application of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). These metal chelates are based on 4-hydroxy-1,5-naphthyridine derivates as chelating ligands, and they are the blue version analogues of well-known green fluorophore Alq(3) (tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminum). These chelating ligands and their metal chelates were easily prepared with an improved synthetic method, and they were facially purified by a sublimation process, which enables the materials to be readily available in bulk quantity and facilitates their usage in OLEDs. Unlike most currently known blue analogues of Alq(3) or other deep blue materials, metal chelates of 4-hydroxy-1,5-naphthyridine exhibit very deep blue fluorescence, wide band gap energy, high charge carrier mobility, and superior thermal stability. Using a vacuum-thermal-deposition process in the fabrication of OLEDs, we have successfully demonstrated that the application of these unusual hydroxynaphthyridine metal chelates can be very versatile and effective. First, we have solved or alleviated the problem of exciplex formation that took place between the hole-transporting layer and hydroxynaphthyridine metal chelates, of which OLED application has been prohibited to date. Second, these deep blue materials can play various roles in OLED application. They can be a highly efficient nondopant deep blue emitter: maximum external quantum efficiency eta(ext) of 4.2%; Commision Internationale de L'Eclairage x, y coordinates, CIE(x,y) = 0.15, 0.07. Compared with Alq(3), Bebq(2) (beryllium bis(benzoquinolin-10-olate)), or TPBI (2,2',2''-(1,3,5-phenylene)tris(1-phenyl-1H-benzimidazole), they are a good electron-transporting material: low HOMO energy level of 6.4-6.5 eV and not so high LUMO energy level of 3.0-3.3 eV. They can be ambipolar and possess a high electron mobility of 10(-4) cm(2)/V s at an electric field of 6.4 x 10(5) V/cm. They are a

We investigated the thermal (dark) production of carbon monoxide (CO) from dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the water column of the St. Lawrence estuarine system in spring 2007. The production rate, Qco, decreased seaward horizontally and downward vertically. Qco exhibited a positive, linear correlation with the abundance of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM). Terrestrial DOM was more efficient at producing CO than marine DOM. The temperature dependence of Qco can be characterized by the Arrhenius equation with the activation energies of freshwater samples being higher than those of salty samples. Qco remained relatively constant between pH 4-6, increased slowly between pH 6-8 and then rapidly with further rising pH. Ionic strength and iron chemistry had little influence on Qco. An empirical equation, describing Qco as a function of CDOM abundance, temperature, pH, and salinity, was established to evaluate CO dark production in the global coastal waters (depth carbon from CO a-1). We speculated the global oceanic (coastal plus open ocean) CO dark production to be in the range from 4.87 to 15.8 Tg CO-C a-1 by extrapolating the coastal water-based results to blue waters (depth > 200 m). Both the coastal and global dark source strengths are significant compared to the corresponding photochemical CO source strengths (coastal: ˜2.9 Tg CO-C a-1; global: ˜50 Tg CO-C a-1). Steady state deepwater CO concentrations inferred from Qco and microbial CO uptake rates are <0.1 nmol L-1.

Highlights: • We use group contribution method to estimate radiative efficiency. • CFC, HCFC, HFC, HFE, and PFC were estimated using this method. • In most cases, the estimation value has a good precision. • The method is reliable for the estimation of molecule with a symmetric structure. • This estimation method can offer good reference for working fluid development. - Abstract: The ratification of the Montreal Protocol in 1987 and the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 mark an environment protection era of the development of organic working fluid. Ozone depletion potential (ODP) and global warming potential (GWP) are two most important indices for the quantitative comparison of organic working fluid. Nowadays, more and more attention has been paid to GWP. The calculation of GWP is an extremely complicated process which involves interactions between surface and atmosphere such as atmospheric radiative transfer and atmospheric chemical reactions. GWP of a substance is related to its atmospheric abundance and is a variable in itself. However, radiative efficiency is an intermediate parameter for GWP calculation and it is a constant value used to describe inherent property of a substance. In this paper, the group contribution method was adopted to estimate the radiative efficiency of the organic substance which contains more than one carbon atom. In most cases, the estimation value and the standard value are in a good agreement. The biggest estimation error occurs in the estimation of the radiative efficiency of fluorinated ethers due to its plenty of structure groups and its complicated structure compared with hydrocarbon. This estimation method can be used to predict the radiative efficiency of newly developed organic working fluids.

In this program, Universal Display Corporation and University of Michigan proposed to integrate three innovative concepts to meet the DOE's Solid State Lighting (SSL) goals: (1) high-efficiency phosphorescent organic light emitting device (PHOLED{trademark}) technology, (2) a white lighting design that is based on a series of red, green and blue OLED stripes, and (3) the use of a novel cost-effective, high rate, mask-less deposition process called organic vapor jet printing (OVJP). Our PHOLED technology offers up to four-times higher power efficiency than other OLED approaches for general lighting. We believe that one of the most promising approaches to maximizing the efficiency of OLED lighting sources is to produce stripes of the three primary colors at such a pitch (200-500 {mu}m) that they appear as a uniform white light to an observer greater than 1 meter (m) away from the illumination source. Earlier work from a SBIR Phase 1 entitled 'White Illumination Sources Using Striped Phosphorescent OLEDs' suggests that stripe widths of less than 500 {mu}m appear uniform from a distance of 1m without the need for an external diffuser. In this program, we intend to combine continued advances in this PHOLED technology with the striped RGB lighting design to demonstrate a high-efficiency, white lighting source. Using this background technology, the team has focused on developing and demonstrating the novel cost-effective OVJP process to fabricate these high-efficiency white PHOLED light sources. Because this groundbreaking OVJP process is a direct printing approach that enables the OLED stripes to be printed without a shadow mask, OVJP offers very high material utilization and high throughput without the costs and wastage associated with a shadow mask (i.e. the waste of material that deposits on the shadow mask itself). As a direct printing technique, OVJP also has the potential to offer ultra-high deposition rates (> 1,000 Angstroms/second) for any size or

Stable and efficient white light emission is obtained by mixing blue fluorescence and orange phosphorescence. The introduction of double exciton blocking layers brings about well confinement of both charge-carriers and excitons in the emission layer. By systematically adjusting blue fluorescent and orange phosphorescent emission layers thickness, carriers in emission zone are balanced, and electrically generated excitons can be efficiently utilized. One white device with power efficiency of 14.4 lm/W at 100 cd/m 2 has excellently stable spectra. The improvement of performance is attributed to efficient utilization of the excitons and more balance of charge-carriers in emission layer. - Highlights: → Stable and efficient white light emission is obtained by mixing blue fluorescence and orange phosphorescence. → White device has power efficiency of 14.4 and 10.1 lm/W obtained at 100 and 1000 cd/m 2 , respectively. → White device has excellently stable spectra over a wide range of luminance. → Singlet and triplet excitons are sufficiently utilized by fluorescent and phosphorescent materials.

Singlet exciton fission splits one singlet exciton into two triplet excitons. Using a joint analysis of photocurrent and fluorescence modulation under a magnetic field, we determine that the triplet yield within optimized tetracene organic photovoltaic devices is 153% ± 5% for a tetracene film thickness of 20 nm. The corresponding internal quantum efficiency is 127% ± 18%. These results are used to prove the effectiveness of a simplified triplet yield measurement that relies only on the magnetic field modulation of fluorescence. Despite its relatively slow rate of singlet fission, the measured triplet yields confirm that tetracene is presently the best candidate for use with silicon solar cells

An electron mobility of 2.7 x 10{sup -5} cm{sup 2} V{sup -1} s{sup -1} was measured for the phosphorescent emitter bis[3,5-bis(2-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazolato]platinum(II)(Pt(ptp)2), which prompted its evaluation as both the emissive layer and electron transport layer in organic light emitting diodes with a simple bilayer structure. Power and external quantum efficiencies of 54.0 {+-} 0.2 lm W{sup -1} and 15.9% were obtained, which as far as we could ascertain are amongst the highest reported values for bilayer devices. We ascribe the high device efficiency to the combination of the high electron mobility, short excited-state lifetime (117 ns) and high luminescence quantum yield (60%) of the bis[3,5-bis(2-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazolato]platinum(II). The colour temperature of the devices was 2855 K at 5 V, which places the emission in the 'warm' light spectral region.

A thermogenic organ is found beneath the brain of billfishes (Istiophoridae), swordfish (Xiphiidae) and the butterfly mackerel (Scombridae). The heater organ has been shown to warm the brain and eyes up to 14 degrees C above ambient water temperature. Heater cells are derived from extraocular muscle fibers and express a modified muscle phenotype with an extensive transverse-tubule (T-tubule) network and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) enriched in Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) pumps and ryanodine receptors (RyRs). Heater cells have a high mitochondria content but have lost most of the contractile myofilaments. Thermogenesis has been hypothesized to be associated with release and reuptake of Ca(2+). In this study, Ca(2+) fluxes in heater SR vesicles derived from blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) were measured using fura-2 fluorescence. Upon the addition of MgATP, heater SR vesicles rapidly sequestered Ca(2+). Uptake of Ca(2+) was thapsigargin sensitive, and maximum loading ranged between 0.8 micro mol Ca(2+) mg(-1) protein and 1.0 micro mol Ca(2+) mg(-1) protein. Upon the addition of 10 mmol l(-1) caffeine or 350 micro mol l(-1) ryanodine, heater SR vesicles released only a small fraction of the loaded Ca(2+). However, ryanodine could elicit a much larger Ca(2+) release event when the activity of the SERCA pumps was reduced. RNase protection assays revealed that heater tissue expresses an RyR isoform that is also expressed in fish slow-twitch skeletal muscle but is distinct from the RyR expressed in fish fast-twitch skeletal muscle. The heater and slow-twitch muscle RyR isoform has unique physiological properties. In the presence of adenine nucleotides, this RyR remains open even though cytoplasmic Ca(2+) is elevated, a condition that normally closes RyRs. The fast Ca(2+) sequestration by the heater SR, coupled with a physiologically unique RyR, is hypothesized to promote Ca(2+) cycling, ATP turnover and heat generation. A branch of the oculomotor nerve innervates heater organs

We report herein a detailed structure-properties relationship study of the first examples of electron-rich 4-substituted spirobifluorenes for organic electronic applications, namely, 4-phenyl-N-carbazole-spirobifluorene (4-PhCz-SBF) and 4-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-spirobifluorene (4-Ph(OMe) 3 -SBF). The incorporation of the electron-rich moieties in the ortho position of the biphenyl linkage (position C4) induces unique properties, very different from those previously described in the literature for this family of semiconductors. Both dyes can be readily synthesized, possess high triplet energies and excellent thermal stability, and their HOMO energy levels are highly increased compared to those of other 4-substituted SBFs. We also provide in this work the first rationalization of the peculiar fluorescence of 4-substituted SBFs. Finally, the present dyes have been successfully incorporated as host in green and blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes with high performance either for the green (EQE of 20.2%) or the blue color (EQE of 9.6%). These performances are, to the best of our knowledge, among the highest reported to date for 4-substituted SBF derivatives.

4, 4'-bis(3,6-bis(3, 6-ditert-pentyl-carbazol-9-yl)carbazol-9-yl)-2,2'-dimethylbiphenyl, a novel carbazole dendrimer, has been synthesized. This compound shows an excellent thermal stability with a high glass transition temperature of 283 °C and decomposition temperature of 487 °C. Density functional theory is used to investigate the frontier orbitals. It was found that the Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital and the Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital levels of 4, 4'-bis(3,6-bis(3, 6-ditert-pentyl-carbazol-9-yl)carbazol-9-yl)-2,2'-dimethylbiphenyl are nearly degenerate to the next highest or lowest frontier orbitals. The electron rich outer dendrons along with Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital level of 5.24 eV as determined from cyclic voltammetry makes 4, 4'-bis(3,6-bis(3,6-ditert-pentyl-carbazol-9-yl)carbazol-9-yl)-2, 2'-dimethylbiphenyl a good hole transporting material. This compound also shows a triplet energy of 2.83 eV. Solution processable multilayer red, green and blue phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes are fabricated having 4, 4'-bis(3,6-bis(3,6-ditert-pentyl-carbazol-9-yl) carbazol-9-yl)-2,2'-dimethylbiphenyl as a hole transporting host. It was found that the CIE-coordinates remain constant within a wide range of brightness.

Coupling photocatalysts with photonic crystals structure is based on the unique property of photonic crystals in confining, controlling, and manipulating the incident photons. This combination enhances the light absorption in photocatalysts and thus greatly improves their photocatalytic performance. In this study, Ga2O3 photonic crystals with well-arranged skeleton structures were prepared via a dip-coating infiltration method. The positions of the electronic band absorption for Ga2O3 photonic crystals could be made to locate on the red edge, on the blue edge, and away from the edge of their photonic band gaps by changing the pore sizes of the samples, respectively. Particularly, the electronic band absorption of the Ga2O3 photonic crystal with a pore size of 135 nm was enhanced more than other samples by making it locate on the red edge of its photonic band gap, which was confirmed by the higher instantaneous photocurrent and photocatalytic activity for the degradation of various organic pollutants under ultraviolet light irradiation. Furthermore, the degradation mechanism over Ga2O3 photonic crystals was discussed. The design of Ga2O3 photonic crystals presents a prospective application of photonic crystals in photocatalysis to address light harvesting and quantum efficiency problems through manipulating photons or constructing photonic crystal structure as groundwork.

Full text: In this work we proposed a PFO composite with two salicylidene based Pt(II) coordination compounds, the [Pt(salophen)] and [Pt(sal-3,4-ben)] (red emitters), as emissive layer (EML) for Organic Light-emitting Diodes (OLEDs), combining a blue-fluorescent polymer (PFO) with red-phosphorescent Pt(II) coordination complexes in order to obtain an efficient white electroluminescent EML for WOLEDs application. Firstly, [Pt(salophen)] and [Pt(sal-3,4-ben)] were synthesized, purified and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, yielding their respective expected molecular structures. The photoluminescence properties of the devices were evaluated by steady-state (electronic absorption and emission spectroscopies) and transient (fluorescence decays and TRES) measurements. It was observed the presence of non-radiative energy transfer processes between the PFO derivative and Pt(II) complexes. Posteriorly, the Pt(II) complexes were blended with PVK at 1% mol:mol ratio and OLEDs were made, leading to red-emitting devices with high color purity for the two coordination compounds. However, the two devices present low current efficiency values. In order to improve the electroluminescence properties of Pt(II) complexes PhOLEDs, PVK host was substituted by PFO at 0.5, 1.0 and 2.5% mol:mol ratios of complex and it was observed a great improvement of their optical-electronic properties in terms of luminance, voltage, current density and current efficiency in comparison to PVK composites or pure PFO devices. At 2.5% concentration, predominant bands of Pt(II) complexes were observed at low and high voltages. For the other concentrations, a different behavior was observed: the emission bands and device color were function of applied electrical field, exhibiting a red color at lower voltages (5 to 9V) and the PFO characteristic emission between 9 and 13V, leading to a white light emission at 13V. The best results were obtained for [Pt(sal-3,4-ben)] coordination compound

Efficient water splitting demands highly active, low cost, and robust electrocatalysts. In this study, we report the synthesis of penroseite (Ni,Co)Se2 nanocages anchored on 3D graphene aerogel using Prussian blue analogues as precursor and further their applications in overall water splitting electrolysis. The synergy between the high activity of (Ni,Co)Se2 and the good conductivity of graphene leads to superior performance of the hybrid toward the water splitting in basic solutions. The (Ni,Co)Se2-GA only requires a low cell voltage of 1.60 V to reach the current density of 10 mA cm-2, making the (Ni,Co)Se2-GA hybrid a competitive alternative to noble metal based catalysts for water splitting.

Efficient water splitting demands highly active, low cost, and robust electrocatalysts. In this study, we report the synthesis of penroseite (Ni,Co)Se2 nanocages anchored on 3D graphene aerogel using Prussian blue analogues as precursor and further their applications in overall water splitting electrolysis. The synergy between the high activity of (Ni,Co)Se2 and the good conductivity of graphene leads to superior performance of the hybrid toward the water splitting in basic solutions. The (Ni,Co)Se2-GA only requires a low cell voltage of 1.60 V to reach the current density of 10 mA cm-2, making the (Ni,Co)Se2-GA hybrid a competitive alternative to noble metal based catalysts for water splitting.

A single dye usually absorbs light only in a limited range of solar spectrum. In order to widen the absorption range, a combination of dyes, namely, Phloxine B and Bromophenol blue have been used as sensitizers in ZnO based dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). It has been found that the DSSC sensitized by mixed dyes exhibited better photovoltaic performance than those observed with the DSSCs using test dyes individually. It has been ascribed to the enhanced absorption of light particularly in higher energy region (λ=400–550 nm) when both dyes were used together as was evident from the absorption spectra of dyes adsorbed onto ZnO electrode. The DSSC using ZnO electrode sensitized by mixed dyes provided J{sub SC}=5.6 mA cm{sup −2}, V{sub OC}=0.606 V, FF=0.53 and maximum energy conversion efficiency (η) of 1.35% on illuminating the cell with visible light of 150 mW cm{sup −2} intensity. - Highlights: • Phloxine B and Bromophenol blue have been used as sensitizers in ZnO based DSSC. • DSSC sensitized by mixed dyes exhibited better photovoltaic performance than those observed with the DSSCs using test dyes individually. • Enhanced absorption of light particularly in higher energy region (λ=400–550 nm) have been observed when both dyes were used together. • The DSSC using ZnO electrode sensitized by mixed dyes provided J{sub sc}=5.6 mA cm{sup −2}, V{sub oc}=0.606 V, FF=0.53. • Efficiency of 1.35% is achieved at visible light intensity of 150 mW cm{sup −2}.

Water pollution is one of the forefront environmental problems. Due to the simplification, flexibility and low cost, the adsorption becomes one of the most fashionable technology and the exploitation of adsorbents has drawn greatly attention. In this study, a novel magnesium silicate-hydrothermal carbon composite (MS-C) was synthesized by facile hydrothermal carbonization and used to remove the cadmium (Cd(II)) and methylene blue (MB) from wastewater. It was shown that the porous and lump-like magnesium silicate (MS) was decorated with multiple hydrothermal carbon (HC) via the Csbnd Osbnd Si covalent bonding. Further, the adsorption behavior of Cd(II) and MB based on the MS, HC, and MS-C were systematically investigated. The equilibrium data of both Cd(II) and MB were fitted well with Langmuir model. Compared to pure MS and HC, the adsorption capacity of composite was significantly improved, accompanied by the maximum adsorption capacity of 108 mg/g for Cd(II) and 418 mg/g for MB, respectively. In the Cd(II)-MB binary system, the adsorption of Cd(II) was favored in comparison with that of MB. The removal of Cd(II) was mainly ascribed to electrostatic attraction and the ion exchange interaction. Meanwhile, the adsorption of MB onto adsorbent was driven by the electrostatic attraction, π-π interaction and hydrogen bond. In view of these empirical results and real water treatment, the environmental friendly and low-cost MS-C holds a potential for separate or simultaneous removal of Cd(II) and MB in practical applications.

Numerous investigations have been made into the development of wide color gamut displays for deep-blue OLEDs, including the RGB sub pixels, and white OLEDs (WOLEDs). One of the well known deep-blue emissive dopants, tris(phenyl-methyl-benzimidazolyl)iridium(III) [Ir(pmb)3], successfully introduced its fascinating color coordinate of Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) 1931 (0.17, 0.06), however there have been no reports utilizing its accomplishments as WOLEDs. In this report, using only one phosphorescent dopant, the near UV-deep blue emissive Ir(pmb)3, the WOLEDs having the CIE 1931 coordinate of (0.33, 0.38) at 100 cd/m2 with a color rendering index of 85 are demonstrated. The white emission of the fabricated OLEDs are oriented from the near UV-deep blue emission of Ir(pmb)3 and the successfully controlled exciplex emission, between the Ir(pmb)3-host, and the Ir(pmb)3-interfaced material.

Wide-angle interference (WI) and multi-beam interference (MI) in microcavity are analyzed separately to improve chromaticity and efficiency of the top-emitting white organic light-emitting diodes (TWOLEDs). A classic electromagnetic theory is used to calculate the resonance intensities of WI and MI in top-emitting organic light-emitting diodes (TOLEDs) with influence factors (e.g., electrodes and exciton locations) being considered. The role of WI on the performances of TOLEDs is revealed through using δ-doping technology and comparing blue and red EML positions in top-emitting and bottom-emitting devices. The blue light intensity significantly increases and the chromaticity of TWOLEDs is further improved with the use of enhanced WI (the blue emitting layer moving towards the reflective electrode) in the case of a weak MI. In addition, the effect of the thicknesses of light output layer and carrier transport layers on WI and MI are also investigated. Apart from the microcavity effect, other factors, e.g., carrier balance and carrier recombination regions are considered to obtain TWOLEDs with high efficiency and improved chromaticity near white light equal-energy point.

Highly efficient exciplex type organic light-emitting diodes were developed using thermally activated delayed fluorescent emitters as donors and acceptors of an exciplex. Blue emitting bis[4-(9,9-dimethyl-9,10-dihydroacridine)phenyl]sulfone (DMAC-DPS) was a donor and 9,9‧-(5-(4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-1,3-phenylene)bis(9H-carbazole) (DDCzTrz) and 9,9‧,9″-(5-(4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)benzene-1,2,3-triyl)tris(9H-carbazole) (TCzTrz) were acceptor materials. The exciplexes of DMAC-DPS:TCzTrz and DMAC-DPS:DDCzTrz resulted in high photoluminescence quantum yield and high quantum efficiency in the green exciplex organic light-emitting diodes. High quantum efficiencies of 13.4% and 15.3% were obtained in the DMAC-DPS:DDCzTrz and DMAC-DPS:TCzTrz exciplex devices.

This study investigated optimum light conditions for enhancing phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and the distribution of phenylpropanoids in organs of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis). Blue light caused a high accumulation of most phenolic compounds, including p-hydroxybenzoic acid, ferulic acid, quercetin, and kaempferol, at 12 days after irradiation (DAI). This increase was coincident with a noticeable increase in expression levels of BrF3H, BrF3'H, BrFLS, and BrDFR. Red light led to the highest ferulic acid content at 12 DAI and to elevated expression of the corresponding genes during the early stages of irradiation. White light induced the highest accumulation of kaempferol and increased expression of BrPAL and BrDFR at 9 DAI. The phenylpropanoid content analysis in different organs revealed organ-specific accumulation of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, quercetin, and kaempferol. These results demonstrate that blue light is effective at increasing phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in Chinese cabbage, with leaves and flowers representing the most suitable organs for the production of specific phenylpropanoids.

Borane is an excellent electron-accepting species, and its derivatives have been widely used in a variety of fields. However, the use of borane derivatives as host materials in OLEDs has rarely reported because the device performance is generally not satisfactory. In this work, two novel spiro-bipolar hosts with incorporated borane were designed and synthesized. The strategies used in preparing these materials were to increase the spatial separation of the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMOs) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMOs) in the molecules, tune the connecting positions of functional groups, and incorporate specific functional groups with desirable thermal stability. Based on these designs, phosphorescent OLEDs with borane derivatives as hosts and with outstanding device performances were obtained. In particular, devices based on SAF-3-DMB/FIrpic exhibited an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of >25%. More encouragingly, the device was found to have quite a low efficiency roll-off, giving an efficiency of >20% even at a high brightness of 10000 cd/m(2). Furthermore, the EQE of the three-color-based (R + G + B) white OLED employing SAF-3-DMB as a host was also as high as 22.9% with CIE coordinates of (x, y) = (0.40, 0.48). At a brightness of 5000 cd/m(2), there was only a 3% decrease in EQE from its maximum value, implying a very low efficiency roll-off.

In this paper, two vacuum processed single heterojunction organic solar cells with complementary absorption are described and the construction and optimization of tandem solar cells based on the combination of these heterojunctions demonstrated. The red-absorbing heterojunction consists of C{sub 60} and a fluorinated zinc phthalocyanine derivative (F4-ZnPc) that leads to a 0.1-0.15 V higher open circuit voltage V{sub oc} than the commonly used ZnPc. The second heterojunction incorporates C{sub 60} and a dicyanovinyl-capped sexithiophene derivative (DCV6T) that mainly absorbs in the green. The combination of both heterojunctions into one tandem solar cell leads to an absorption over the whole visible range of the sun spectrum. Thickness variations of the transparent p-doped optical spacer between both subcells in the tandem solar cell is shown to lead to a significant change in short circuit current density j{sub sc} due to optical interference effects, whereas V{sub oc} and fill factor are hardly affected. The maximum efficiency {eta} of about 5.6% is found for a spacer thickness of 150-165 nm. Based on the optimized 165nm thick spacer, effects of intensity and angle of illumination, and temperature on a tandem device are investigated. Variations in illumination intensity lead to a linear change in j{sub sc} over three orders of magnitude and a nearly constant {eta} in the range of 30 to 310 mW cm{sup -2}. Despite the stacked heterojunctions, the performance of the tandem device is robust against different illumination angles: j{sub sc} and {eta} closely follow a cosine behavior between 0 and 70 . Investigations of the temperature behavior of the tandem device show an increase in {eta} of 0.016 percentage points per Kelvin between -20 C and 25 C followed by a plateau up to 50 C. Finally, further optimization of the tandem stack results in a certified {eta} of (6.07 {+-} 0.24)% on (1.9893 {+-} 0.0060)cm{sup 2} (Fraunhofer ISE), i.e., areas large enough to be of

The light extraction efficiency of light emitting diode (LED) devices was improved by embedding nano-sized two-dimensional, air cavity photonic crystal (PC) structure on the indium tin oxide (ITO) layer of GaN-based LEDs. The embedded air cavity PC structure was fabricated using a reversal imprint lithography technique. The nano-cavity patterns had a width of 560 nm, a space of 240 nm and a height of 280 nm. According to current–voltage characterization, the electrical performance of the LED devices was not degraded by the fabrication process of air cavity PC structure. The optical output power of the LED device was increased by up to 10% at a drive current of 20 mA by forming the nano-cavity PC structure on the transparent electrode of the blue LED device, which was grown on a patterned sapphire substrate, to maximize the photon extraction. Since photons are scattered with cavities and are unaffected by the packaging process, which is the encapsulation of a LED device with epoxy resin, this enhancement in light extraction efficiency will not be decreased after the packaging process.

A facile one-pot method for the fabrication of high quality self-assembled hierarchically ordered macro-mesoporous ZnS microsphere–reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composite without the use of templates or surfactants is described. During the hydrothermal process, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was loaded into the ZnS microsphere by in situ reduction of graphene oxide added in the self-assembly system. The morphology and structure of the as-prepared composites were confirmed by X-ray diffraction, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Incorporation of reduced graphene oxide as an excellent electron-transporting material effectively suppresses the charge recombination. Hence, a significant enhancement in the photocatalytic efficiency for the photodegradation of methylene blue was observed with the ZnS–RGO composite, compared to the pure ZnS. Overall, this research results may lay down new vistas for the in situ fabrication of the ZnS–RGO composite as a highly efficient photocatalysis under visible-light irradiation and their applications in environmental protection.

Novel materials based on Zn(HPB)2 and Ir-complexes were synthesized as blue or red emitters, respectively. White organic light emitting diodes were fabricated using the Zn(HPB)2 as a blue emitting layer, Ir-complexes as a red emitting layer and Alq3 as a green emitting layer. The obtained experimental results, were based on white OLEDs fabricated using double emission layers of Zn(HPB)2 and Alq3:Ir-complexes. The doping rate of the Ir-complexes was varied at 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8% and 1.0%. When the doping rate of the Alq3:Ir-complexes was 0.6%, a white emission was achieved. The Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage coordinates of the device's white emission were (0.316, 0.331) at an applied voltage of 10.75 V.

Atmospheric aerosols are complex mixtures of organic and inorganic compounds. Current efforts to provide a simplified parameterization to describe the RH dependence of water uptake and associated optical properties lack the capability to include any dependence on the composition of the organic fraction. Using laboratory generated aerosol we have investigated the validity of such simplified treatment of organic fraction and estimated potential biases. In this study, we use cavity ring-down aerosol extinction photometry (CRD-AEP) to study the relative humidity (RH) dependence of the light extinction of aerosols, σep, simultaneously considering the influence of particle size, chemical composition, and mixing state (internal and external mixtures). We have produced internally mixed aerosol systems including; ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, sodium chloride, dicarboxylic acids, sugars, amino acids and humic acid. These aerosols are produced with an atomizer and size-selected with a Differential Mobility Analyzer (DMA). The particles then enter into a CRD-AEP to measure dry extinction, σep(Dry), after which they travel into a RH conditioner and another CRD-AEP to measure the humidified aerosol extinction, fσ(ep)RH. The ratio of the humidified extinction to the dry extinction is fσ(ep)RH. Representative organic compounds were found to have fσ(ep)RH values that are much smaller than pure salts; though the fσ(ep)RH values vary little within the organic compounds studied. In addition, we have found that treating the inorganic/organic aerosols as external mixtures is generally correct to within ~10%, indicating appropriate simplified treatment of the RH dependence of atmospheric aerosol according to inorganic/organic fraction. In this presentation, we include recommendations for the generalized treatment of the organic fraction, exceptions to this generalized behavior, and estimates of the potential bias caused by generalized treatment.

The electrode/organic interface is one of the key factors in attaining superior device performance in organic electronics, and inserting a tailor-made layer can dramatically modify its properties. The use of nano-composite (NC) materials leads to many advantages by combining materials with the objective of obtaining a desirable combination of properties. In this context, zinc oxide/polyethyleneimine (ZnO:PEI) NC film was incorporated as an interfacial layer into inverted bottom-emission organic light emitting diodes (IBOLEDs) and fully optimized. For orange-red emissive MEH-PPV based IBOLEDs, a high power efficiency of 6.1 lm W-1 at a luminance of 1000 cd m-2 has been achieved. Notably, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) increased from 0.1 to 4.8% and the current efficiency (CE) increased from 0.2 to 8.7 cd A-1 with rise in luminance (L) from 1000 to above 10 000 cd m-2 levels when compared to that of pristine ZnO-based devices. An identical device architecture containing a ZnO:PEI NC layer has also been used to successfully fabricate green and blue emissive IBOLEDs. The significant enhancement in the inverted device performance, in terms of luminance and efficiency, is attributed to a good energy-level alignment between the cathode/organic interface which leads to effective carrier balance, resulting in efficient radiative-recombination.

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films of thicknesses 5,10, 15, 20, and 30 nm were deposited on 500 eV argon ion-beam fabricated nanoscale self-organized rippled-Si substrates at room temperature and are compared with similar films deposited on pristine-Si substrates (without ripples). It is observed that morphology of self-organized AZO films is driven by the underlying substrate morphology. For instance, for pristine-Si substrates, a granular morphology evolves for all AZO films. On the other hand, for rippled-Si substrates, morphologies having chain-like arrangement (anisotropic in nature) are observed up to a thickness of 20 nm, while a granular morphology evolves (isotropic in nature) for 30 nm-thick film. Photoluminescence studies reveal that excitonic peaks corresponding to 5–15 nm-thick AZO films, grown on rippled-Si templates, show a blue shift of 8 nm and 3 nm, respectively, whereas the peak shift is negligible for 20-nm thick film (with respect to their pristine counter parts). The observed blue shifts are substantiated by diffuse reflectance study and attributed to quantum confinement effect, associated with the size of the AZO grains and their spatial arrangements driven by the anisotropic morphology of underlying rippled-Si templates. The present findings will be useful for making tunable AZO-based light-emitting devices.

The lowest Relative Agronomic Efficiency (RAE) values estimated for the test fertilizer materials in the 1st cropping were 81.5 and 117.5% in soils A and B, respectively. The respective values for 2nd cropping were 78.3 and 62.0%. It was clear that the indigenous GRP, OF and their mixtures have great potentials as ...

Studies of the composition of coal tar, which began in Prussia in 1834, profoundly affected the economies of Germany, Great Britain, India, and the rest of the world, as well as medicine and surgery. Such effects include the collapse of the profits of the British indigo monopoly, the growth in economic power of Germany based on coal tar chemistry, and an economic crisis in India that led to more humane tax laws and, ultimately, the independence of India and the end of the British Empire. Additional consequences were the development of antiseptic surgery and the synthesis of a wide variety of useful drugs that have eradicated infections and alleviated pain. Many of these drugs, particularly the commonly used analgesics, sulfonamides, sulfones, and local anesthetics, are derivatives of aniline, originally called "blue oil" or "kyanol." Some of these aniline derivatives, however, have also caused aplastic anemia, agranulocytosis, and methemoglobinemia (that is, "blue people"). Exposure to aniline drugs, particularly when two or three aniline drugs are taken concurrently, seems to be the commonest cause of methemoglobinemia today.

ZnO nanostructures (including nano-plates and nano-rods (NRs)) are grown in various temperatures and Ar/O 2 flow rates using thermal chemical vapor deposition, which affect the structure, nano-plate/NR population, and the quality of ZnO nanostructures. X-ray diffraction (XRD) attests that the peak intensity of the crystallographic plane (1 0 0) is correlated to nano-plate abundance. Moreover, optical properties elucidate that the population of nano-plates in samples strongly affect the band gap, binding energy of the exciton, and UV–visible (UV–vis) absorption and spectral luminescence emissions. In fact, the exciton binding energy reduces from ∼100 to 80 meV when the population of nano-plates increases in samples. Photovoltaic characteristics based on the drop-casting on Si solar cells reveals three dominant factors, namely, the equivalent series resistance, decreasing reflectance, and down-shifting, in order to scale up the absolute efficiency by 3%. As a consequence, the oxygen vacancies in ZnO nanostructures give rise to the down-shifting and increase of free-carriers, leading to a reduction in the equivalent series resistance and an enlargement of fill factor. To obtain a larger I sc , reduction of spectral reflectance is essential; however, the down-shifting process is shown to be dominant by lessening the surface electron-hole recombination rate over the UV–blue spectral range. (paper)

ZnO nanostructures (including nano-plates and nano-rods (NRs)) are grown in various temperatures and Ar/O2 flow rates using thermal chemical vapor deposition, which affect the structure, nano-plate/NR population, and the quality of ZnO nanostructures. X-ray diffraction (XRD) attests that the peak intensity of the crystallographic plane (1 0 0) is correlated to nano-plate abundance. Moreover, optical properties elucidate that the population of nano-plates in samples strongly affect the band gap, binding energy of the exciton, and UV-visible (UV-vis) absorption and spectral luminescence emissions. In fact, the exciton binding energy reduces from ~100 to 80 meV when the population of nano-plates increases in samples. Photovoltaic characteristics based on the drop-casting on Si solar cells reveals three dominant factors, namely, the equivalent series resistance, decreasing reflectance, and down-shifting, in order to scale up the absolute efficiency by 3%. As a consequence, the oxygen vacancies in ZnO nanostructures give rise to the down-shifting and increase of free-carriers, leading to a reduction in the equivalent series resistance and an enlargement of fill factor. To obtain a larger I sc, reduction of spectral reflectance is essential; however, the down-shifting process is shown to be dominant by lessening the surface electron-hole recombination rate over the UV-blue spectral range.

, such as photolithography and electron-beam lithography, besides the steps required for the bulk-heterojunction organic solar cell fabrication. After the production steps, the solar cells on polyimide are peeled off the silicon support substrates, resulting in flexible devices containing nanostructures for light absorption......In this work, a new method for the fabrication of organic solar cells containing functional light-trapping nanostructures on flexible substrates is presented. Polyimide is spin-coated on silicon support substrates, enabling standard micro- and nanotechnology fabrication techniques...

Knowledge about productivity and efficiency differences between conventional and organic farms has important implications for the evaluation of the economic viability of these two agricultural practices. The main purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency ratings of organic and conventional grape farms in Catalonia. To do so, we fit a stochastic production frontier to cross sectional, farm-level data collected from a sample of 141 Catalan farms that specialize in grape growing. Results show that organic farmers, on average, are more efficient than their conventional counterparts (efficiency ratings are on the order of 0.80 and 0.64, respectively). Apart from adoption of organic practices, experience is also found to improve technical efficiency. Conversely, technical efficiency tends to decrease with the relevance of unpaid family labor, farm location in less favored areas, and farmers strong environmental preservation preferences. (Author) 41 refs.

The presence of a transparent conductive electrode such as indium tin oxide (ITO) limits the reliability and cost price of organic photovoltaic devices as it is brittle and expensive. Moreover, the relative high sheet resistance of an ITO electrode on flexible substrates limits the maximum width of

The removal of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from water is highly needed because of their increasing use and potential risk to the environment due to their toxic effects. Catalysis over AgNPs has received significant attention because of their highly catalytic performance. However, their use in practical applications is limited due to high cost and limited resources. Here, we present for the first time that the mussel-inspired Fe3O4@polydopamine (Fe3O4@PDA) nanocomposite can be used for efficient removal and recovery of AgNPs. Adsorption of AgNPs over Fe3O4@PDA was confirmed by TEM, FT-IR, XRD, TGA and magnetic property. The adsorption efficiency of AgNPs by Fe3O4@PDA was investigated as a function of pH, contact time, ionic strength and concentration of AgNPs. The kinetic data were well fitted to a pseudo-second order kinetic model. The isotherm data were well described by Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 169.5 mg/g, which was higher than those by other adsorbents. Notably, the obtained AgNPs-Fe3O4@PDA exhibited highly catalytic activity for methylene blue reduction by NaBH4 with a rate constant of 1.44 × 10-3/s, which was much higher than those by other AgNPs catalysts. The AgNPs-Fe3O4@PDA promised good recyclability for at least 8 cycles and acid resistant with good stability.

Organic photodetectors are able to transform plastic into intelligent surfaces making our daily life easier, smarter and more productive. The key element for a sensor is to reduce the dark current density in order to boost the limit of detection. The energetic requirements in order to select materials for ultra-high performance organic photodetectors are presented with the following experimental results: a detectivity of 3.36 × 1013 Jones has been achieved with an extremely low dark current density of 0.32 nA cm-2 and a responsivity as high as 0.34 A W-1. Flexible devices are all made at lowtemperature and with solution-processed materials. Their stability under operation is also presented.

Quality of information is crucial for decision-makers to judge the battlefield situations and design the best operation plans, however, real intelligence data are often incomplete and noisy, where missing links prediction methods and spurious links identification algorithms can be applied, if modeling the complex military organization as the complex network where nodes represent functional units and edges denote communication links. Traditional link prediction methods usually work well on homogeneous networks, but few for the heterogeneous ones. And the military network is a typical heterogeneous network, where there are different types of nodes and edges. In this paper, we proposed a combined link prediction index considering both the nodes' types effects and nodes' structural similarities, and demonstrated that it is remarkably superior to all the 25 existing similarity-based methods both in predicting missing links and identifying spurious links in a real military network data; we also investigated the algorithms' robustness under noisy environment, and found the mistaken information is more misleading than incomplete information in military areas, which is different from that in recommendation systems, and our method maintained the best performance under the condition of small noise. Since the real military network intelligence must be carefully checked at first due to its significance, and link prediction methods are just adopted to purify the network with the left latent noise, the method proposed here is applicable in real situations. In the end, as the FINC-E model, here used to describe the complex military organizations, is also suitable to many other social organizations, such as criminal networks, business organizations, etc., thus our method has its prospects in these areas for many tasks, like detecting the underground relationships between terrorists, predicting the potential business markets for decision-makers, and so on.

Graphical abstract: This enhanced photocatalytic activity of multi-doped P25 arises due to the synergistic effect of dopants contribution to improve visible light absorption and increase of the lifetime of photo-generated charge carriers. Plausible mechanism for the photocatalytic degradation of MB on CPG nanocomposite is illustrated in the figure above. Graphene incooperated with TiO{sub 2} promotes the formation of Ti−C or Ti−O−C bonds that introduced an additional energy level above the valence band of TiO{sub 2}. Furthermore, copper and graphene serve as an inhibitor of recombination by trapping electrons to promote charge separation. Simultaneously, doping Cu{sup 2+} ions into TiO{sub 2} could also induce more oxygen vacancies, which can produce more hydroxyl groups. Finally, the enhanced adsorptivity of π–π interaction between MB and the composite catalyst was as well significant for photocatalytic activity. - Highlights: • Hydrothermal method was proposed to fabricate Cu–P25–graphene ternary composite at relative low temperature. • Degradation efficiency and hydrogen evolution rate of CPG-4 was up to 98% and 1.90 mmol g{sup −1} respectively. • The efficiency of MB removal by CPG-4 was sustainable and consistent. • The particles-on-a-sheet structure and synergistic effects of Cu{sup 2+} ions and GO lead to the improved photocatalytic activity. • The effects of pH values of methyl blue solution for photocatalysts was investigated. - Abstract: Cu–P25–graphene nanocomposite was fabricated through hydrothermal method at relatively low temperature. The technique used is P25–graphene (PG) binary composite was firstly prepared by P25 and graphite oxide (GO), and then Cu{sup 2+} ions were impregnated into PG composite. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–vis diffuse reflectance

This paper reports the fabrication and measurement of organic light-emitting devices comprised of indium-tin-oxide (ITO)/4,4',4-prime-tris(N-carbazolyl)-triphenylamine (TCTA, 8 nm)/2-pyrenyl-9-phenyl-9-pyrenylfluorene(2P9PPF, 30 nm)/ bathocuproine (BCP, with different thickness)/Alq 3 : DCJTB (DCJTB = 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-t-butyl-6(1,1,7,7- tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl)-4H-pyran, Alq 3 = tris(8-hydroxyquinolino) aluminium(III), 2% in mass ratio, 30 nm)/Mg : Ag(250 nm). The dependence of electroluminescence (EL) spectra on the BCP layer thickness and operating voltage has been investigated quantitatively. It is shown that the emission colour of the devices changes from red to blue at 8 V when the BCP layer thickness changes from 1 to 10 nm. The emission colour of the devices also varies with the applying voltage even in a given device. The ratio of blue emission originating from 2P9PPF to the red emission originating from DCJTB increases with the applying voltage. Based on the hole blocking effect of the BCP layer, we deduced the dependence of this ratio on the BCP layer thickness and simulated the experimental result well. It is also proposed that the variation of the EL spectrum with the voltage can be attributed to the varying hole blocking effect under the varying electric field, which resulted in a recombination zone shift, and the exciton dissociation effect in the electric field

Full Text Available Various azomethine-zinc(II complexes (3a-c of bis(salicylidenecyclohexyl-1,2-diamino organic ligands were synthesized by one pot reaction of salicylaldehydes/2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde (2 eq, cyclohexyl-1,2-diamine (1 eq and zinc acetate (1 eq in methanol solvent at reflux temperature. The synthesized complexes were characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, and SEM. Their photophysical properties such as Photoluminescence (PL and Diffused Reflectance Spectra (DRS were studied. PL studies revealed that the emission peaks of the complexes in both solution and solid states appeared to occur at 395–600 nm and emitted blue light. The band gap energies determined from DRS were 2.98 eV (3a, 2.91 eV (3b, and 2.73 eV (3c. Based on these results, we ascertain that these Zn(II complexes can serve as a suitable non-dopant blue light emitting compound for flat panel display applications. Latent fingerprint detection study indicated that the powder compounds show good adhesion and finger ridge details without background staining. The demonstrated method can be applied to detect fingerprints on all types of smooth surfaces.

This paper reports the fabrication and measurement of organic light-emitting devices comprised of indium-tin-oxide (ITO)/4,4',4-prime-tris(N-carbazolyl)-triphenylamine (TCTA, 8 nm)/2-pyrenyl-9-phenyl-9-pyrenylfluorene(2P9PPF, 30 nm)/ bathocuproine (BCP, with different thickness)/Alq{sub 3} : DCJTB (DCJTB = 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-t-butyl-6(1,1,7,7- tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl)-4H-pyran, Alq{sub 3} = tris(8-hydroxyquinolino) aluminium(III), 2% in mass ratio, 30 nm)/Mg : Ag(250 nm). The dependence of electroluminescence (EL) spectra on the BCP layer thickness and operating voltage has been investigated quantitatively. It is shown that the emission colour of the devices changes from red to blue at 8 V when the BCP layer thickness changes from 1 to 10 nm. The emission colour of the devices also varies with the applying voltage even in a given device. The ratio of blue emission originating from 2P9PPF to the red emission originating from DCJTB increases with the applying voltage. Based on the hole blocking effect of the BCP layer, we deduced the dependence of this ratio on the BCP layer thickness and simulated the experimental result well. It is also proposed that the variation of the EL spectrum with the voltage can be attributed to the varying hole blocking effect under the varying electric field, which resulted in a recombination zone shift, and the exciton dissociation effect in the electric field.

High-efficiency two-colour white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) comprising a newly synthesized iridium complex orange phosphor ((impy){sub 2}Ir(acac)) and a blue fluorophor (BD012) have been realized by placing several kinds of thin spacers between two emitters. Hybrid WOLEDs with a spacer composed of a hole-transporting N,N-dicarbazolyl-3,5-benzene (mCP) and an electron-transporting 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Bphen) exhibit a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of up to 8.4% and a negligible colour change (the colour coordinate of (0.39, 0.41) at 1000 cd m{sup -2}) with increasing brightness, whereas the device using a hole-transporting mCP spacer shows a relatively low EQE of 6.2% and a large shift of emitting colour with increasing brightness. Device performance is further characterized based on the charge transport behaviour of the spacers inserted between the two emitters.

High-efficiency two-colour white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) comprising a newly synthesized iridium complex orange phosphor ((impy) 2 Ir(acac)) and a blue fluorophor (BD012) have been realized by placing several kinds of thin spacers between two emitters. Hybrid WOLEDs with a spacer composed of a hole-transporting N,N-dicarbazolyl-3,5-benzene (mCP) and an electron-transporting 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Bphen) exhibit a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of up to 8.4% and a negligible colour change (the colour coordinate of (0.39, 0.41) at 1000 cd m -2 ) with increasing brightness, whereas the device using a hole-transporting mCP spacer shows a relatively low EQE of 6.2% and a large shift of emitting colour with increasing brightness. Device performance is further characterized based on the charge transport behaviour of the spacers inserted between the two emitters.

White organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) were fabricated for color-tunable lighting applications. Fluorescent and phosphorescent hybrid emission layers (EMLs) were used to enhance the luminance and stability of the devices, which have blue-EML/CBP interlayer/green-EML/phosphorescent-sensitized-EML/red-EML structures. The influence of the composition and structure of the EMLs on the electroluminescence properties of the devices were investigated from the viewpoint of their emission spectra. The possible exciton harvesting, diffusion, transport, and annihilation processes occurring in the EMLs were also evaluated. A maximum luminance intensity of 7400 cd/m 2 and a highly stable current efficiency of 3.2 cd/A were obtained. Good color tunability was achieved for the white OLEDs; the chromatic coordinates linearly shifted from pure white (0.300, 0.398) to cold white (0.261, 0.367) when the applied voltage was varied from 10 to 14 V. -- Highlights: • Exciton harvesting, diffusion, transport, and annihilation processes were evaluated. • The electroluminescence properties were investigated from the viewpoint of the emission spectra. • Good color tunability and stable-efficiency were achieved for the white OLEDs

In this study, we report our effort to realize high performance single emissive layer three color white phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) through sequential Dexter energy transfer of blue, green and red dopants. The PHOLEDs had a structure of; ITO(1500 Å)/NPB(700 Å)/mCP:Firpic-x%:Ir(ppy)3-0.5%:Ir(piq)3-y%(300 Å)/TPBi(300 Å)/Liq(20 Å)/Al(1200 Å). The dopant concentrations of FIrpic, Ir(ppy)3 and Ir(piq)3 were adjusted and optimized to facilitate the preferred energy transfer processes attaining both the best luminous efficiency and CIE color coordinates. The presence of a deep trapping center for charge carriers in the emissive layer was confirmed by the observed red shift in electroluminescent spectra. White PHOLEDs, with phosphorescent dopant concentrations of FIrpic-8.0%:Ir(ppy)3-0.5%:Ir(piq)3-0.5% in the mCP host of the single emissive layer, had a maximum luminescence of 37,810 cd/m2 at 11 V and a luminous efficiency of 48.10 cd/A at 5 V with CIE color coordinates of (0.35, 0.41).

The hierarchically macro/micro-porous silicon–carbon–nitrogen (Si–C–N) hybrid material was presented with novel functionalities of totally selective and highly efficient adsorption for organic dyes. The hybrid material was conveniently generated by the pyrolysis of commercial polysilazane precursors using polydivinylbenzene microspheres as sacrificial templates. Owing to the Van der Waals force between sp2-hybridized carbon domains and triphenyl structure of dyes, and electrostatic interaction between dyes and Si-C-N matrix, it exhibites high adsorption capacity and good regeneration and recycling ability for the dyes with triphenyl structure, such as methyl blue (MB), acid fuchsin (AF), basic fuchsin and malachite green. The adsorption process is determined by both surface adsorption and intraparticle diffusion. According to the Langmuir model, the adsorption capacity is 1327.7 mg·g−1 and 1084.5 mg·g−1 for MB and AF, respectively, which is much higher than that of many other adsorbents. On the contrary, the hybrid materials do not adsorb the dyes with azo benzene structures, such as methyl orange, methyl red and congro red. Thus, the hierarchically porous Si–C–N hybrid material from a facile and low cost polymer-derived strategy provides a new perspective and possesses a significant potential in the treatment of wastewater with complex organic pollutants. PMID:25604334

We demonstrate a facile approach to designing transparent electron-collecting electrodes by depositing thin layers of medium and low work function metals on top of transparent conductive metal oxides (TCOs) such as ITO and FTO. The modified electrodes were fairly stable for months under ambient conditions and maintained their electrical characteristics. XPS spectroscopy data strongly suggested integration of the deposited metal in the TCO structure resulting in additional doping of the conducting oxide at the interface. Kelvin probe microscopy measurements revealed a significant decrease in the ITO work function after modification. Organic solar cells based on three different conjugated polymers have demonstrated state of the art performances in inverted device geometry using Mg- or Yb-modified ITO as electron collecting electrode. The simplicity of the proposed approach and the excellent ambient stability of the modified ITO electrodes allows one to expect their wide utilization in research laboratories and electronic industry.

Full Text Available Aggregate dredging is a growing source of anthropogenic disturbance in coastal UK waters and has the potential to impact marine systems through the smothering of benthic fauna with organically loaded screening discards. This study investigates the tolerance of the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis to such episodic smothering events using a multi-factorial design, including organic matter concentration, temperature, sediment fraction size and duration of burial as important predictor variables.Mussel mortality was significantly higher in organically loaded burials when compared to control sediments after just 2 days. Particularly, M. edulis specimens under burial in fine sediment with high (1% concentrations of organic matter experienced a significantly higher mortality rate (p<0.01 than those under coarse control aggregates. Additionally, mussels exposed to the summer maximum temperature treatment (20°C exhibited significantly increased mortality (p<0.01 compared to those in the ambient treatment group (15°C. Total Oxygen Uptake rates of experimental aggregates were greatest (112.7 mmol m-2 day-1 with 1% organic loadings in coarse sediment at 20°C. Elevated oxygen flux rates in porous coarse sediments are likely to be a function of increased vertical migration of anaerobically liberated sulphides to the sediment-water interface. However, survival of M. edulis under bacterial mats of Beggiatoa spp. indicates the species' resilience to sulphides and so we propose that the presence of reactive organic matter within the burial medium may facilitate bacterial growth and increase mortality through pathogenic infection. This may be exacerbated under the stable interstitial conditions in fine sediment and increased bacterial metabolism under high temperatures. Furthermore, increased temperature may impose metabolic demands upon the mussel that cannot be met during burial-induced anaerobiosis.Lack of consideration for the role of organic matter and

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cellular life with complex metabolism probably evolved during the reign of RNA, when it served as both information carrier and enzyme. Jensen proposed that enzymes of primordial cells possessed broad specificities: they were generalist. When and under what conditions could primordial metabolism run by generalist enzymes evolve to contemporary-type metabolism run by specific enzymes? Results Here we show by numerical simulation of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction chain that specialist enzymes spread after the invention of the chromosome because protocells harbouring unlinked genes maintain largely non-specific enzymes to reduce their assortment load. When genes are linked on chromosomes, high enzyme specificity evolves because it increases biomass production, also by reducing taxation by side reactions. Conclusion The constitution of the genetic system has a profound influence on the limits of metabolic efficiency. The major evolutionary transition to chromosomes is thus proven to be a prerequisite for a complex metabolism. Furthermore, the appearance of specific enzymes opens the door for the evolution of their regulation. Reviewers This article was reviewed by Sándor Pongor, Gáspár Jékely, and Rob Knight.

In this paper, a new white organic light-emitting device (OLED) with the structure of indium tin oxide / CF x / 1,4-bis[N-(1-naphthyl)-N'-phenylamino]-biphenyl (NPB) (30 nm)/NPB: 2,8-di(t-butyl)-5,11-di[4-(t-butyl)phenyl]-6,12-diphenylnaphthacene (20 nm; 1.6 %) / 2-methyl-9,10-di(2-naphthyl) anthracene: p-bis(p-N,N-di-phenyl-aminostyryl)benzene (40 nm, 3%) / aluminum tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) (20 nm) / LiF (1 nm) / Al (200 nm) has been investigated. The device showed white emission with a high-luminous yield of 9.75 cd/A at 20 mA/cm 2 , but its Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage chromaticity coordinates appeared to change from (0.34, 0.42) at 6 mA/cm2 to (0.27, 0.37) at 200 mA/cm 2 due to the shift of recombination zone. The change of color with drive current was suppressed by introduction of an electron-blocking layer of NPB along with a hole-blocking layer of aluminum (III) bis(2-methyl-8-quinolinato)4-phenylphenolato to the white OLED which successfully confined the recombination site and achieved a luminous yield of 9.9 cd/A at 20 mA/cm 2

In this paper, a new white organic light-emitting device (OLED) with the structure of indium tin oxide / CF {sub x} / 1,4-bis[N-(1-naphthyl)-N'-phenylamino]-biphenyl (NPB) (30 nm)/NPB: 2,8-di(t-butyl)-5,11-di[4-(t-butyl)phenyl]-6,12-diphenylnaphthacene (20 nm; 1.6 %) / 2-methyl-9,10-di(2-naphthyl) anthracene: p-bis(p-N,N-di-phenyl-aminostyryl)benzene (40 nm, 3%) / aluminum tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) (20 nm) / LiF (1 nm) / Al (200 nm) has been investigated. The device showed white emission with a high-luminous yield of 9.75 cd/A at 20 mA/cm{sup 2}, but its Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage chromaticity coordinates appeared to change from (0.34, 0.42) at 6 mA/cm2 to (0.27, 0.37) at 200 mA/cm{sup 2} due to the shift of recombination zone. The change of color with drive current was suppressed by introduction of an electron-blocking layer of NPB along with a hole-blocking layer of aluminum (III) bis(2-methyl-8-quinolinato)4-phenylphenolato to the white OLED which successfully confined the recombination site and achieved a luminous yield of 9.9 cd/A at 20 mA/cm{sup 2}.

The addition of processing additives is a widely used approach to increase power conversion efficiencies for many organic solar cells. We present how additives change the polymer conformation in the casting solution leading to a more intermixed

EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are honoring 12 New England businesses and organizations for their commitment to saving energy, saving money, and protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements.

We report efficientorganic light-emitting devices having a platinum-complex emissive layer with the peak external quantum efficiency of 17.5% and power efficiency of 45 lm W−1. Variation in the device performance with platinum-complex layer thickness can be attributed to the interplay between carrier recombination and intermolecular interactions in the layer. Efficient white devices using double platinum-complex layers show the external quantum efficiency of 10%, the Commission Internationale d’Énclairage coordinates of (0.42, 0.41), and color rendering index of 84 at 1000 cd m−2.

We report efficientorganic light-emitting devices having a platinum-complex emissive layer with the peak external quantum efficiency of 17.5% and power efficiency of 45 lm W−1. Variation in the device performance with platinum-complex layer thickness can be attributed to the interplay between carrier recombination and intermolecular interactions in the layer. Efficient white devices using double platinum-complex layers show the external quantum efficiency of 10%, the Commission Internationale d’Énclairage coordinates of (0.42, 0.41), and color rendering index of 84 at 1000 cd m−2.

Micro-organisms can be classified into three different types according to their size. We study the efficiency of the swimming of micro-organism in two dimensional fluid as a device for helping the explanation of this hierarchy in the size. We show that the efficiency of flagellate becomes unboundedly large, whereas that of ciliate has the upper bound. The unboundedness is related to the curious feature of the shape space, that is, a singularity at the basic shape of flagellate.

Treatment of tannery wastewater has been a challenge in remediation of aquatic environment in developing countries. Removal of organic pollutants in tannery wastewater from wet-blue fur processing was studied using integrated processes of Anoxic/Oxic and Fenton. Analysis of COD composition based...... 80%. In the subsequent Fenton oxidation, effects of initial pH and H2O2 dose on COD removal were investigated, and response surface methodology was adopted to obtain the optimal conditions as initial pH of 4.0, H2O2 dose of 14.0mM, H2O2:Fe2+ molar ratio of 10.6, and reaction time of 3h to achieve...... the highest COD removal of 55.87%. GC-MS analysis was carried out to observe the change of organic composition during Fenton oxidation, and most of the residual organic pollutants resistant to Fenton treatment belonged to organosilanes and saturated alkanes. This study will provide useful information...

Posthuman Blues, Vol. I is first volume of the edited version of the popular weblog maintained by author Mac Tonnies from 2003 until his tragic death in 2009. Tonnies' blog was a pastiche of his original fiction, reflections on his day-to-day life, trenchant observations of current events, and thoughts on an eclectic range of material he culled from the Internet. What resulted was a remarkably broad portrait of a thoughtful man and the complex times in which he lived, rendered with intellige...

The efficiency of today’s most efficientorganic solar cells is primarily limited by the ability of the active layer to absorb all the sunlight. While internal quantum efficiencies exceeding 90% are common, the external quantum efficiency rarely exceeds 70%. Light trapping techniques that increase the ability of a given active layer to absorb light are common in inorganic solar cells but have only been applied to organic solar cells with limited success. Here, we analyze the light trapping mechanism for a cell with a V-shape substrate configuration and demonstrate significantly improved photon absorption in an 5.3%-efficient PCDTBT:PC70BM bulk heterojunction polymer solar cell. The measured short circuit current density improves by 29%, in agreement with model predictions, and the power conversion efficiency increases to 7.2%, a 35% improvement over the performance in the absence of a light trap.

presents a major challenge. The reported high PCE values from lab-scale spin-coated devices are, of course, representative, but not helpful for commercialization. Here, organic tandem solar cells with exceptionally high fill factors and PCE values of 7.66% (on glass) and 5.56% (on flexible substrate...... to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE). However, due to the undeveloped deposition techniques, the challenges in ink formulation as well as the lack of commercially available high performance active materials, roll-to-roll fabrication of highly efficientorganic tandem solar cells currently......), which are the highest values for the solution-processed tandem solar cells fabricated by a mass-production compatible coating technique under ambient conditions, are demonstrated. To predict the highest possible performance of tandem solar cells, optical simulation based on experimentally feasible...

Much attention is focused on increasing the energy efficiency to decrease fuel costs and CO2 emissions throughout industrial sectors. The ORC (organic Rankine cycle) is a relatively simple but efficient process that can be used for this purpose by converting low and medium temperature waste heat ...

To search the literature and identify indicators used to monitor and control the organ donation and transplantation process and to group these indicators into categories. In November 2014, a systematic review of the literature was carried out in the following databases: Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS), EBSCO, Emerald, Proquest, Science Direct, and Web of Science. The following search terms (and the corresponding terms in Brazilian Portuguese) were employed: "efficiency," "indicators," "organ donation," "tissue and organ procurement," and "organ transplantation." Of the 344 articles retrieved, 23 original articles published between 1992 and 2013 were selected and reviewed for analysis of efficiency indicators. The review revealed 117 efficiency indicators, which were grouped according to similarity of content and divided into three categories: 1) 71 indicators related to organ donation, covering mortality statistics, communication of brain death, clinical status of donors and exclusion of donors for medical reasons, attitude of families, confirmation of donations, and extraction of organs and tissues; 2) 22 indicators related to organ transplantation, covering the surgical procedure per se and post-transplantation follow-up; and 3) 24 indicators related to the demand for organs and the resources of hospitals involved in the process. Even if organ transplantation is a recent phenomenon, the high number of efficiency indicators described in the literature suggests that scholars interested in this field have been searching for ways to measure performance. However, there is little standardization of the indicators used. Also, most indicators focus on the donation step, suggesting gaps in the measurement of efficiency at others points in the process. Additional indicators are needed to monitor important stages, such as organ distribution (for example, organ loss indicators) and post-transplantation aspects (for example, survival and quality of life).

A method of purifying small molecule organic material, performed as a series of operations beginning with a first sample of the organic small molecule material. The first step is to purify the organic small molecule material by thermal gradient sublimation. The second step is to test the purity of at least one sample from the purified organic small molecule material by spectroscopy. The third step is to repeat the first through third steps on the purified small molecule material if the spectroscopic testing reveals any peaks exceeding a threshold percentage of a magnitude of a characteristic peak of a target organic small molecule. The steps are performed at least twice. The threshold percentage is at most 10%. Preferably the threshold percentage is 5% and more preferably 2%. The threshold percentage may be selected based on the spectra of past samples that achieved target performance characteristics in finished devices.

The performance of both organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic solar cells (OSC) depends on efficient coupling between optical far field modes and the emitting/absorbing region of the device. Current approaches towards OLEDs with efficient light-extraction often are limited to single-color emission or require expensive, non-standard substrates or top-down structuring, which reduces compatibility with large-area light sources. Here, we report on integrating solution-processed nano-particle based light-scattering films close to the active region of organic semiconductor devices. In OLEDs, these films efficiently extract light that would otherwise remain trapped in the device. Without additional external outcoupling structures, translucent white OLEDs containing these scattering films achieve luminous efficacies of 46 lm W-1 and external quantum efficiencies of 33% (both at 1000 cd m-2). These are by far the highest numbers ever reported for translucent white OLEDs and the best values in the open literature for any white device on a conventional substrate. By applying additional light-extraction structures, 62 lm W-1 and 46% EQE are reached. Besides universally enhancing light-extraction in various OLED configurations, including flexible, translucent, single-color, and white OLEDs, the nano-particle scattering film boosts the short-circuit current density in translucent organic solar cells by up to 70%.

Large releases of tritium are currently permitted in coastal areas due to assumptions that it rapidly disperses in the water and has a low toxicity due to its low energy emissions. This paper presents a laboratory experiment developed to identify previously untested scenarios where tritium may concentrate or transfer in biota relevant to Baltic coastal communities. Phytoplankton populations of Dunaliella tertiolecta and Nodularia spumigena were exposed at different growth-stages, to tritiated water (HTO; 10 MBq l(-1)). Tritiated D. tertiolecta was then fed to mussels, Mytilus edulis, regularly over a period of three weeks. Activity concentrations of phytoplankton and various tissues from the mussel were determined. Both phytoplankton species transformed HTO into organically-bound tritium (OBT) in their tissues. D. tertiolecta accumulated significantly more tritium when allowed to grow exponentially in HTO than if it had already reached the stationary growth phase; both treatments accumulated significantly more than the corresponding treatments of N. spumigena. No effect of growth phase on bioaccumulation of tritium was detectable in N. spumigena following exposure. After mussels were given 3 feeds of tritiated D. tertiolecta, significant levels of tritium were detected in the tissues. Incorporation into most mussel tissues appeared to follow a linear relationship with number of tritiated phytoplankton feeds with no equilibrium, highlighting the potential for biomagnification. Different rates of incorporation in species from a similar functional group highlight the difficulties in using a 'representative' species for modelling the transfer and impact of tritium. Accumulations of organic tritium into the mussel tissues from tritiated-phytoplankton demonstrate an environmentally relevant transfer pathway of tritium even when water-concentrations are reduced, adding weight to the assertion that organically bound tritium acts as a persistent organic pollutant. The

The use of blue phosphorescent emitters in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) imposes demanding requirements on a host material. Among these are large triplet energies, the alignment of levels with respect to the emitter, the ability to form and sustain amorphous order, material processability, and an adequate charge carrier mobility. A possible design strategy is to choose a π-conjugated core with a high triplet level and to fulfill the other requirements by using suitable substituents. Bulky substituents, however, induce large spatial separations between conjugated cores, can substantially reduce intermolecular electronic couplings, and decrease the charge mobility of the host. In this work we analyze charge transport in amorphous 2,8-bis(triphenylsilyl)dibenzofuran, an electron-transporting material synthesized to serve as a host in deep-blue OLEDs. We show that mesomeric effects delocalize the frontier orbitals over the substituents recovering strong electronic couplings and lowering reorganization energies, especially for electrons, while keeping energetic disorder small. Admittance spectroscopy measurements reveal that the material has indeed a high electron mobility and a small Poole-Frenkel slope, supporting our conclusions. By linking electronic structure, molecular packing, and mobility, we provide a pathway to the rational design of hosts with high charge mobilities.

Triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) and triplet-polaron quenching (TPQ) in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) lead to a roll-off of the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) with increasing current density J. We employ a kinetic Monte Carlo modeling study to analyze the measured IQE and color balance as a function of J in a multilayer hybrid white OLED that combines fluorescent blue with phosphorescent green and red emission. We investigate two models for TTA and TPQ involving the phosphorescent green and red emitters: short-range nearest-neighbor quenching and long-range Förster-type quenching. Short-range quenching predicts roll-off to occur at much higher J than measured. Taking long-range quenching with Förster radii for TTA and TPQ equal to twice the Förster radii for exciton transfer leads to a fair description of the measured IQE-J curve, with the major contribution to the roll-off coming from TPQ. The measured decrease of the ratio of phosphorescent to fluorescent component of the emitted light with increasing J is correctly predicted. A proper description of the J-dependence of the ratio of red and green phosphorescent emission needs further model refinements.

Triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) and triplet-polaron quenching (TPQ) in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) lead to a roll-off of the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) with increasing current density J. We employ a kinetic Monte Carlo modeling study to analyze the measured IQE and color balance as a function of J in a multilayer hybrid white OLED that combines fluorescent blue with phosphorescent green and red emission. We investigate two models for TTA and TPQ involving the phosphorescent green and red emitters: short-range nearest-neighbor quenching and long-range Förster-type quenching. Short-range quenching predicts roll-off to occur at much higher J than measured. Taking long-range quenching with Förster radii for TTA and TPQ equal to twice the Förster radii for exciton transfer leads to a fair description of the measured IQE-J curve, with the major contribution to the roll-off coming from TPQ. The measured decrease of the ratio of phosphorescent to fluorescent component of the emitted light with increasing J is correctly predicted. A proper description of the J-dependence of the ratio of red and green phosphorescent emission needs further model refinements.

Triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) and triplet-polaron quenching (TPQ) in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) lead to a roll-off of the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) with increasing current density J. We employ a kinetic Monte Carlo modeling study to analyze the measured IQE and color balance as a function of J in a multilayer hybrid white OLED that combines fluorescent blue with phosphorescent green and red emission. We investigate two models for TTA and TPQ involving the phosphorescent green and red emitters: short-range nearest-neighbor quenching and long-range Förster-type quenching. Short-range quenching predicts roll-off to occur at much higher J than measured. Taking long-range quenching with Förster radii for TTA and TPQ equal to twice the Förster radii for exciton transfer leads to a fair description of the measured IQE-J curve, with the major contribution to the roll-off coming from TPQ. The measured decrease of the ratio of phosphorescent to fluorescent component of the emitted light with increasing J is correctly predicted. A proper description of the J-dependence of the ratio of red and green phosphorescent emission needs further model refinements.

The efficiency of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) is shown to significantly depend on the roughness of the indium tin oxide (ITO) anode. By using rougher ITO, light trapped in the ITO/organic wave-guided mode can be efficiently extracted, and a light outcoupling enhancement as high as 40% is achieved. Moreover, contrary to expectations, the lifetime of OLEDs is not affected by ITO roughness. Finally, an OLED employing rough ITO anode that exhibits a current efficiency of 56 cd/A at the remarkably high brightness of 10 5 cd/m 2 is obtained. This represents the highest current efficiency at such high brightness to date for an OLED utilizing an ITO anode, without any external light outcoupling techniques. The results demonstrate the significant efficiency benefits of using ITO with higher roughness in OLEDs.

The efficiency of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) is shown to significantly depend on the roughness of the indium tin oxide (ITO) anode. By using rougher ITO, light trapped in the ITO/organic wave-guided mode can be efficiently extracted, and a light outcoupling enhancement as high as 40% is achieved. Moreover, contrary to expectations, the lifetime of OLEDs is not affected by ITO roughness. Finally, an OLED employing rough ITO anode that exhibits a current efficiency of 56 cd/A at the remarkably high brightness of 10{sup 5} cd/m{sup 2} is obtained. This represents the highest current efficiency at such high brightness to date for an OLED utilizing an ITO anode, without any external light outcoupling techniques. The results demonstrate the significant efficiency benefits of using ITO with higher roughness in OLEDs.

Coal seam degasification and its efficiency are directly related to the safety of coal mining. Degasification activities in the Black Warrior basin started in the early 1980s by using vertical boreholes. Although the Blue Creek seam, which is part of the Mary Lee coal group, has been the main seam of interest for coal mining, vertical wellbores have also been completed in the Pratt, Mary Lee, and Black Creek coal groups of the Upper Pottsville formation to degasify multiple seams. Currently, the Blue Creek seam is further degasified 2-3 years in advance of mining using in-seam horizontal boreholes to ensure safe mining. The studied location in this work is located between Tuscaloosa and Jefferson counties in Alabama and was degasified using 81 vertical boreholes, some of which are still active. When the current long mine expanded its operation into this area in 2009, horizontal boreholes were also drilled in advance of mining for further degasification of only the Blue Creek seam to ensure a safe and a productive operation. This paper presents an integrated study and a methodology to combine history matching results from vertical boreholes with production modeling of horizontal boreholes using geostatistical simulation to evaluate spatial effectiveness of in-seam boreholes in reducing gas-in-place (GIP). Results in this study showed that in-seam wells' boreholes had an estimated effective drainage area of 2050 acres with cumulative production of 604 MMscf methane during ~2 years of operation. With horizontal borehole production, GIP in the Blue Creek seam decreased from an average of 1.52 MMscf to 1.23 MMscf per acre. It was also shown that effective gas flow capacity, which was independently modeled using vertical borehole data, affected horizontal borehole production. GIP and effective gas flow capacity of coal seam gas were also used to predict remaining gas potential for the Blue Creek seam.

A device is provided, having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a photoactive region disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The photoactive region includes a first organic layer comprising a mixture of an organic acceptor material and an organic donor material, wherein the first organic layer has a thickness not greater than 0.8 characteristic charge transport lengths, and a second organic layer in direct contact with the first organic layer, wherein: the second organic layer comprises an unmixed layer of the organic acceptor material or the organic donor material of the first organic layer, and the second organic layer has a thickness not less than about 0.1 optical absorption lengths. Preferably, the first organic layer has a thickness not greater than 0.3 characteristic charge transport lengths. Preferably, the second organic layer has a thickness of not less than about 0.2 optical absorption lengths. Embodiments of the invention can be capable of power efficiencies of 2% or greater, and preferably 5% or greater.

In this study highly efficient photocatalyst based on composite nanofibers containing polyacrylonitrile (PAN), carbon nanotubes (CNT), and surface functionalized TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles was developed. The composite nanofibers were fabricated using electrospinning technique followed by chemical crosslinking. The surface modification and morphology changes of the fabricated composite nanofibers were examined through SEM, TEM, and FTIR analysis. The photocatalytic performance of the composite nanofibers for the degradation of model molecules, methylene blue and indigo carmine, under UV irradiation in aqueous solutions was investigated. The results demonstrated that high photodegradation efficiency was obtained in a short time and at low power intensity compared to other reported studies. The effective factors on the degradation of the dyes, such as the amount of catalyst, solution pH and irradiation time were investigated. The experimental kinetic data were fitted using pseudo-first order model. The effect of the composite nanofibers as individual components on the degradation efficiency of MB and IC was evaluated in order to understand the overall photodegradation mechanism. The results obtained showed that all the components possess significant effect on the photodegradation activity of the composite nanofibers. The stability studies demonstrated that the photodegradation efficiency can remain constant at the level of 99% after five consecutive cycles. - Highlights: • Develop effective photocatalyst based on PAN–CNT/TiO{sub 2}–NH{sub 2} composite nanofibers. • High photodegradation efficiency and fast kinetics was obtained. • Regeneration of the composite nanofibers allowed the reuse of these material. • Mechanism of the photocatalytic degradation was proposed. • The flexibility of the composite nanofibers allows use in a continuous operation mode.

In this study highly efficient photocatalyst based on composite nanofibers containing polyacrylonitrile (PAN), carbon nanotubes (CNT), and surface functionalized TiO 2 nanoparticles was developed. The composite nanofibers were fabricated using electrospinning technique followed by chemical crosslinking. The surface modification and morphology changes of the fabricated composite nanofibers were examined through SEM, TEM, and FTIR analysis. The photocatalytic performance of the composite nanofibers for the degradation of model molecules, methylene blue and indigo carmine, under UV irradiation in aqueous solutions was investigated. The results demonstrated that high photodegradation efficiency was obtained in a short time and at low power intensity compared to other reported studies. The effective factors on the degradation of the dyes, such as the amount of catalyst, solution pH and irradiation time were investigated. The experimental kinetic data were fitted using pseudo-first order model. The effect of the composite nanofibers as individual components on the degradation efficiency of MB and IC was evaluated in order to understand the overall photodegradation mechanism. The results obtained showed that all the components possess significant effect on the photodegradation activity of the composite nanofibers. The stability studies demonstrated that the photodegradation efficiency can remain constant at the level of 99% after five consecutive cycles. - Highlights: • Develop effective photocatalyst based on PAN–CNT/TiO 2 –NH 2 composite nanofibers. • High photodegradation efficiency and fast kinetics was obtained. • Regeneration of the composite nanofibers allowed the reuse of these material. • Mechanism of the photocatalytic degradation was proposed. • The flexibility of the composite nanofibers allows use in a continuous operation mode.

Size-tunable bimetallic bowtie nanoantennas have been utilized to suppress the efficiency roll-off characteristics in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) using both the numerical and experimental approaches. The resonant range can be widened by the strong dual-atomic couplings in bimetallic bowtie nanoantennas. Compared with the green OLED with conventional bowtie nanoantennas at a high current density of 800 mA/cm"2, the measured efficiency roll-off ratio of the OLED with size-modulated bowtie nanoantennas is decreased from 53.2% to 41.8%, and the measured current efficiency is enhanced by 29.9%. When the size-modulated bowtie nanoantennas are utilized in blue phosphorescent OLEDs, the experimental roll-off ratio is suppressed from 43.6% to 25.9% at 250 mA/cm"2, and the measured current efficiency is also enhanced significantly. It is proposed that the efficiency roll-off suppression is mainly related to the enhanced localized surface plasmon effect, which leads to a shorter radiative lifetime.

Size-tunable bimetallic bowtie nanoantennas have been utilized to suppress the efficiency roll-off characteristics in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) using both the numerical and experimental approaches. The resonant range can be widened by the strong dual-atomic couplings in bimetallic bowtie nanoantennas. Compared with the green OLED with conventional bowtie nanoantennas at a high current density of 800 mA/cm{sup 2}, the measured efficiency roll-off ratio of the OLED with size-modulated bowtie nanoantennas is decreased from 53.2% to 41.8%, and the measured current efficiency is enhanced by 29.9%. When the size-modulated bowtie nanoantennas are utilized in blue phosphorescent OLEDs, the experimental roll-off ratio is suppressed from 43.6% to 25.9% at 250 mA/cm{sup 2}, and the measured current efficiency is also enhanced significantly. It is proposed that the efficiency roll-off suppression is mainly related to the enhanced localized surface plasmon effect, which leads to a shorter radiative lifetime.

Emitter orientation will play a major role in future applications of organic light-emitting diodes due to its strong impact on the efficiency of the devices. Up to now, determining the orientation of transition dipole moments required elaborate angular-dependent measurements of the light emission pattern. In this paper, we present a simplified and straightforward method to extract the emitter orientation from external quantum efficiency measurements. We demonstrate the validity of the method on three different dye-doped emitting systems.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is broadly recognised as an important parameter affecting soil quality, and can therefore contribute to improving a number of soil properties that influence crop yield. Previous research generally indicates that soil organic carbon has positive effects on crop yields......, the yield with no fertiliser N application and the N use efficiency would be positively affected by SOC level. A statistical model was developed to explore relationships between SOC and potential yield, yields at zero N application and N use efficiency (NUE). The model included a variety of variables...

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to present a method of identifying key risks during IT audit of an organization, regardless of the organization activity, and presenting the impact of the risks identified on the audit methodology. Our main focus is reducing the risk identification during phase during an audit mission. Due to the fast changing economy, the need for efficiency in resources allocation is greater than ever. Optimal use of predefined risk matrix proves to be the main element contributing to an increase in efficiency.

In researches on sod podzolic light loamy soil the application of mineral and organic fertilizers has provided high indicators of agronomic and power efficiency. Entering of mineral fertilizers has raised efficiency of field crop rotations on 19,9-30,3 tha -1 of f.u., as well as entering of organic fertilizers on 5,2-10,8 tha -1 of f.u. at a recoupment of 1 ton of manure of 65,0-131,3 f.u. and 1 kg of NPK of 8,1-9,7 f.u. Power return of application of mineral fertilizers in crop rotations has...

Full Text Available The paper describes in detail the method of application of the factor model and to identify reserves increased efficiency of fixed assets. Also in the article the analysis of the samples and to obtain reference values​​. Comparison of results of analysis of the organization with a series of reference values ​​reveals the potential for growth and provide specific recommendations to improve performance. The study will receive a 7-factor regression equation for the full sample, as well as similar equations for small, medium and large agricultural organizations. Differentiation factor 7-dimensional equations on the basis of organizations brings a statistically significant increase in the reliability of the model. These results contribute to the management of scientific research, the effective functioning of plant and equipment, enables to predict the effects of certain factors on the efficiency of the use of the property complex of agricultural organizations.

The efficiency of several lab scale treatments (aerobic, anaerobic and ozone or combination of these) was evaluated using two packaging board mill whitewaters. The effect of the different treatments on the elimination of the organic load, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and the toxicity was tested as well as the relationship between these parameters. Biocides, phenolic compounds, surfactants, plasticiziers and wood extractives were identified in untreated and treated whitewaters by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) or gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A strong dependency on the water type and treatment efficiency was observed, being the combination of anaerobic and aerobic treatments the best option to reduce the organic contaminants in these waters, although in some cases, the toxicity did not decrease. However, ozone as post-treatment permitted a further reduction of organic compounds, toxicity and COD. - Aerobic and anaerobic treatments remove organic compounds in paper mill effluents but toxicity remains

The effect of indium (In) in the barrier of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) has been studied for MQWs with and without semi-bulk InGaN buffer. From simulation, the optimum In content in the barrier with 3-5 nm width is 5-7% to get the optimal material quality and internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of ∝65% for 450-480 nm emission range. Simulation shows a reduction of the potential barrier due to band flattening, a more homogeneous distribution of electrons and holes in the active region and subsequently, a more radiative recombination rate with InGaN as barrier layer. Both cathodoluminescence (CL) and photoluminescence (PL) experimental results show a blue-shift of emission wavelength along with an enhancement in the emission intensity when GaN barrier is replaced with InGaN barrier, for a MQW structure both with and without the semi-bulk InGaN buffer. We attribute this blue shift to the reduced polarization mismatch and increased effective bandgap. This InGaN barrier-related improvement in IQE and efficiency droop could be useful for the realization of longer wavelength ''green-gap'' range LEDs where poor IQE and efficiency droop are more prominent due to high indium (In) in the active region. (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

InGaN-based light emitting diodes and multiple quantum wells designed to emit in the green spectral region exhibit, in general, lower internal quantum efficiencies than their blue-emitting counter parts, a phenomenon referred to as the “green gap.” One of the main differences between green-emitting and blue-emitting samples is that the quantum well growth temperature is lower for structures designed to emit at longer wavelengths, in order to reduce the effects of In desorption. In this paper, we report on the impact of the quantum well growth temperature on the optical properties of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells designed to emit at 460 nm and 530 nm. It was found that for both sets of samples increasing the temperature at which the InGaN quantum well was grown, while maintaining the same indium composition, led to an increase in the internal quantum efficiency measured at 300 K. These increases in internal quantum efficiency are shown to be due reductions in the non-radiative recombination rate which we attribute to reductions in point defect incorporation.

InGaN-based light emitting diodes and multiple quantum wells designed to emit in the green spectral region exhibit, in general, lower internal quantum efficiencies than their blue-emitting counter parts, a phenomenon referred to as the “green gap.” One of the main differences between green-emitting and blue-emitting samples is that the quantum well growth temperature is lower for structures designed to emit at longer wavelengths, in order to reduce the effects of In desorption. In this paper, we report on the impact of the quantum well growth temperature on the optical properties of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells designed to emit at 460 nm and 530 nm. It was found that for both sets of samples increasing the temperature at which the InGaN quantum well was grown, while maintaining the same indium composition, led to an increase in the internal quantum efficiency measured at 300 K. These increases in internal quantum efficiency are shown to be due reductions in the non-radiative recombination rate which we attribute to reductions in point defect incorporation

The donation rate (DR) per million population is not ideal for an efficiency comparison of national deceased organ donation programs. The DR does not account for variabilities in the potential for deceased donation which mainly depends on fatalities from causes leading to brain death. In this study, the donation activity was put into relation to the mortality from selected causes. Based on that metric, this study assesses the efficiency of different donation programs. This is a retrospective analysis of 2001-2015 deceased organ donation and mortality registry data. Included are 27 Council of Europe countries, as well as the USA. A donor conversion index (DCI) was calculated for assessing donation program efficiency over time and in international comparisons. According to the DCI and of the countries included in the study, Spain, France, and the USA had the most efficient donation programs in 2015. Even though mortality from the selected causes decreased in most countries during the study period, differences in international comparisons persist. This indicates that the potential for deceased organ donation and its conversion into actual donation is far from being similar internationally. Compared with the DR, the DCI takes into account the potential for deceased organ donation, and therefore is a more accurate metric of performance. National donation programs could optimize performance by identifying the areas where most potential is lost, and by implementing measures to tackle these issues.

Full Text Available Due to the wide potential applications of wireless sensor networks, this topic has attracted great attention. The strict energy constraints of sensor nodes result in great challenges for energy efficiency. This paper proposes an energy-efficientorganization method. The organization of wireless sensor networks is formulated for target tracking. Target localization is achieved by collaborative sensing with multi-sensor fusion. The historical localization results are utilized for adaptive target trajectory forecasting. Combining autoregressive moving average (ARMA model and radial basis function networks (RBFNs, robust target position forecasting is performed. Moreover, an energyefficient organization method is presented to enhance the energy efficiency of wireless sensor networks. The sensor nodes implement sensing tasks are awakened in a distributed manner. When the sensor nodes transfer their observations to achieve data fusion, the routing scheme is obtained by ant colony optimization. Thus, both the operation and communication energy consumption can be minimized. Experimental results verify that the combination of ARMA model and RBFN can estimate the target position efficiently and energy saving is achieved by the proposed organization method in wireless sensor networks.

The feasibility of solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells as a low-cost alternative to amorphous silicon cells is demonstrated. Such a cell with a record efficiency of over 4 % under simulated sunlight is reported, made possible by using a new organic metal-free indoline dye as the sensitizer with high absorption coefficient. (Abstract Copyright [2005], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

An organic solar cell device or organic photovoltaic cell (OPV) is a class of solar cell that uses conductive organic polymers or small organic molecules for light absorption and charge transport. In this study, we fabricate and characterize an organic photovoltaic cell device and estimated important parameters of the device such as Open Circuit Voltage Voc of 0.28V, Short-Circuit Current Isc of 4.0 × 10-5 A, Maximum Power Pmax of 2.4 × 10-6 W, Fill Factor of 0.214 and the energy conversion efficiency of η=0.00239% were tested using Keithley 2400,source meter under A.M 1.5 (1000/m2) illumination from a Newport Class A solar simulator. Also the I-V characteristics for OPV were drawn.

Full Text Available The organic sector in our country, although as shown in continuous development, faces a multitude of problems: the climatic conditions of our country, characterized by periods of drought in many parts of the country, high input prices, the majority of which are imported; difficulties in identifying markets for products, reduced subsidies, standardized conditions difficult to meet, etc. The problems the sector is facing reflect in the organization of the production activity and hence the economic performance of farm production. Accordingly, the aim of this paper was to analyze on the basis of annual financial and accounting information collected in the two vegetable farms and the two animal breeding farms, their efficiency / inefficiency, and the results were compared to identify the causes of the differences obtained in the efficiency at a farm level. The results obtained reveal a higher level of return on integrated vegetable farm in a joint recovery and a high efficiency for chain integrated animal farms.

Mixed methods research is interesting to understand complex processes. Organ transplants are complex processes in need of improved final performance in times of budgetary restrictions. As the main objective a mixed method approach is used in this article to quantify the technical efficiency and the excellence achieved in organ transplant systems and to prove the influence of organizational structures and internal processes in the observed technical efficiency. The results show that it is possible to implement mechanisms for the measurement of the different components by making use of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The analysis show a positive relationship between the levels related to the Baldrige indicators and the observed technical efficiency in the donation and transplant units of the 11 analyzed hospitals. Therefore it is possible to conclude that high levels in the Baldrige indexes are a necessary condition to reach an increased level of the service offered. PMID:25950653

cannot be adjusted in the short run. However, land, labor, and organic fertilizer can neither be traded on a perfect market nor are their quantities completely fixed for cotton production, but these input quantities can be adjusted by adjusting their use for other activities of the household. Hence......Cotton is known as the “white gold” of Africa since it is the only export crop in which the continent’s share in the world market has increased over the past decades. Total cotton production as well as productivity grew particularly in Western and Central Africa. In contrast, cotton production grew...... and output, as well as socio-economic and agronomic factors, but also on the shadow prices of all sparsely traded inputs, i.e. land, labor, and organic fertilizer. Hence, we can not only analyze productivity, technical efficiency, and scale efficiency, but also allocative efficiency, profitability...

Full Text Available Spain looms large worldwide in organic olive oil production. However, this productive potential contrasts with the low internal consumption of the product. This situation makes Spain a world leader in its export. Companies in this sector have clear deficiencies, which must be corrected to ensure their survival over time. In this context, the aim of this study is to analyse the level of efficiency, in economic terms, of organic olive oil producers and to identify the factors explaining the best organizational practices. To do so, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA and Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA have been used. The results reveal low levels of economic efficiency and the variables determining said efficiency.

Design and development of highly efficientorganic and organometallic dopants is one of the central challenges in the organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) technology. Recent advances in the computational materials science have made it possible to apply computer-aided evaluation and screening framework directly to the design space of organic lightemitting diodes (OLEDs). In this work, we will showcase two major components of the latest in silico framework for development of organometallic phosphorescent dopants - (1) rapid screening of dopants by machine-learned quantum mechanical models and (2) phosphorescence lifetime predictions with spin-orbit coupled calculations (SOC-TDDFT). The combined work of virtual screening and evaluation would significantly widen the design space for highly efficient phosphorescent dopants with unbiased measures to evaluate performance of the materials from first principles.

We report a high efficiency, broadband terahertz (THz) modulator following a study of phthalocyanine-compound organic films irradiated with an external excitation laser. Both transmission and reflection modulations of each organic/silicon bilayers were measured using THz time-domain and continuous-wave systems. For very low intensities, the experimental results show that AlClPc/Si can achieve a high modulation factor for transmission and reflection, indicating that AlClPc/Si has a superior modulation efficiency compared with the other films (CuPc and SnCl 2 Pc). In contrast, the strong attenuation of the transmitted and reflected THz waves revealed that a nonlinear absorption process takes place at the organic/silicon interface

Full Text Available We report on the efficiency improvement of organic solar cells (OPVs based on the low energy gap polyfluorene derivative, APFO-3, and the soluble C60 fullerene PCBM, upon addition of a residual amount of poly (4-vinylpyridine (PVP. We find that the addition of 1% by weight of PVP with respect to the APFO-3 content leads to an increase of efficiency from 2.4% to 2.9%. Modifications in the phase separation details of the active layer were investigated as a possible origin of the efficiency increase. At high concentrations of PVP, the blend morphology is radically altered as observed by Atomic Force Microscopy. Although the use of low molecular weight additives is a routine method to improve OPVs efficiency, this report shows that inert polymers, in terms of optical and charge transport properties, may also improve the performance of polymer-based solar cells.

Visible light induced photocatalysts of Cu doped SrTiO3 (Cu/SrTiO3) nanoparticles with the size -60-75 nm were prepared via facile sol-gel method. The morphological, optical, crystalline properties and compositions of synthesized Cu/SrTiO3 nanoparticles were thoroughly characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultra violet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). A significant red shift in the UV-diffused reflectance spectrum was observed and the absorption edge shifted to visible region by the Cu doping. Surprisingly, the band gap of SrTiO3 was changed from 3.2 eV drop to 2.96 eV. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized Cu/SrTiO3 nanoparticles was demonstrated for the degradation of Methylene Blue dye under visible light irradiation. The formation of new acceptor region in Cu/SrTiO3 was responsible for high photocatalytic activity of Cu/SrTiO3 nanoparticles. The results showed that the Methylene Blue dye was degraded by -66% within time span of 2 h over the Cu/SrTiO3 nanoparticles. This dye degradation reaction followed the Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics and also exhibited first order reaction rate. The calculated rate constant for the degradation reaction following first order kinetics was k = 0.0016 min(-1).

Full Text Available Two light-emitting polyphenylene dendrimers with both hole and electron transporting moieties were synthesized and characterized. Both molecules exhibited pure blue emission solely from the pyrene core and efficient surface-to-core energy transfers when characterized in a nonpolar environment. In particular, the carbazole- and oxadiazole-functionalized dendrimer (D1 manifested a pure blue emission from the pyrene core without showing intramolecular charge transfer (ICT in environments with increasing polarity. On the other hand, the triphenylamine- and oxadiazole-functionalized one (D2 displayed notable ICT with dual emission from both the core and an ICT state in highly polar solvents. D1, in a three-layer organic light emitting diode (OLED by solution processing gave a pure blue emission with Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage 1931 CIE xy = (0.16, 0.12, a peak current efficiency of 0.21 cd/A and a peak luminance of 2700 cd/m2. This represents the first reported pure blue dendrimer emitter with bipolar charge transport and surface-to-core energy transfer in OLEDs.

Two light-emitting polyphenylene dendrimers with both hole and electron transporting moieties were synthesized and characterized. Both molecules exhibited pure blue emission solely from the pyrene core and efficient surface-to-core energy transfers when characterized in a nonpolar environment. In particular, the carbazole- and oxadiazole-functionalized dendrimer ( D1 ) manifested a pure blue emission from the pyrene core without showing intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) in environments with increasing polarity. On the other hand, the triphenylamine- and oxadiazole-functionalized one ( D2 ) displayed notable ICT with dual emission from both the core and an ICT state in highly polar solvents. D1 , in a three-layer organic light emitting diode (OLED) by solution processing gave a pure blue emission with Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage 1931 CIE xy = (0.16, 0.12), a peak current efficiency of 0.21 cd/A and a peak luminance of 2700 cd/m². This represents the first reported pure blue dendrimer emitter with bipolar charge transport and surface-to-core energy transfer in OLEDs.

Increased maintenance costs at cellular, and consequently organism level, are thought to be involved in shaping the sensitivity of marine calcifiers to ocean acidification (OA). Yet, knowledge of the capacity of marine calcifiers to undergo metabolic adaptation is sparse. In Kiel Fjord, blue mussels thrive despite periodically high seawater PCO 2 , making this population interesting for studying metabolic adaptation under OA. Consequently, we conducted a multi-generation experiment and compared physiological responses of F1 mussels from 'tolerant' and 'sensitive' families exposed to OA for 1 year. Family classifications were based on larval survival; tolerant families settled at all PCO 2 levels (700, 1120, 2400 µatm) while sensitive families did not settle at the highest PCO 2 (≥99.8% mortality). We found similar filtration rates between family types at the control and intermediate PCO 2 level. However, at 2400 µatm, filtration and metabolic scope of gill tissue decreased in tolerant families, indicating functional limitations at the tissue level. Routine metabolic rates (RMR) and summed tissue respiration (gill and outer mantle tissue) of tolerant families were increased at intermediate PCO 2 , indicating elevated cellular homeostatic costs in various tissues. By contrast, OA did not affect tissue and routine metabolism of sensitive families. However, tolerant mussels were characterised by lower RMR at control PCO 2 than sensitive families, which had variable RMR. This might provide the energetic scope to cover increased energetic demands under OA, highlighting the importance of analysing intra-population variability. The mechanisms shaping such difference in RMR and scope, and thus species' adaptation potential, remain to be identified.

Full Text Available Aim: In this study, we aimed to emphasize the importance of Code Blue implementation and to determine deficiencies in this regard. Methods: After obtaining the ethics committee approval, 225 patient’s code blue call data between 2012 and 2014 January were retrospectively analyzed. Age and gender of the patients, date and time of the call and the clinics giving Code Blue, the time needed for the Code Blue team to arrive, the rates of false Code Blue calls, reasons for Code Blue calls and patient outcomes were investigated. Results: A total of 225 patients (149 male, 76 female were evaluated in the study. The mean age of the patients was 54.1 years. 142 (67.2% Code Blue calls occurred after hours and by emergency unit. The mean time for the Code Blue team to arrive was 1.10 minutes. Spontaneous circulation was provided in 137 patients (60.8%; 88 (39.1% died. The most commonly identified possible causes were of cardiac origin. Conclusion: This study showed that Code Blue implementation with a professional team within an efficient and targeted time increase the survival rate. Therefore, we conclude that the application of Code Blue carried out by a trained team is an essential standard in hospitals. (The Medical Bulletin of Haseki 2015; 53:204-8

A facile method for fabricating blue light-emitting diodes (B-LEDs) with small embedded quantum dots (QDs) and enhanced light emission is demonstrated by tuning the temperature of the growing GaN capping layer to eliminate V-defects. As the growth temperature increases from 770 °C to 840 °C, not only does the density of the V-defects reduce from 4.12 ∗ 108 #/cm2 nm to zero on a smooth surface, but the QDs also get smaller. Therefore, the growth mechanism of smaller QDs assisted by elimination of V-defects is discussed. Photoluminescence and electroluminescence results show that smaller embedded QDs can improve recombination efficiency, and thus achieve higher peak intensity with smaller peak broadening. Accordingly, the external quantum efficiency of the B-LEDs with smaller QDs is enhanced, leading to a 6.8% increase in light output power in lamp-form package LEDs.

This book presents an important technique to process organic photovoltaic devices. The basics, materials aspects and manufacturing of photovoltaic devices with solution processing are explained. Solution processable organic solar cells - polymer or solution processable small molecules - have the potential to significantly reduce the costs for solar electricity and energy payback time due to the low material costs for the cells, low cost and fast fabrication processes (ambient, roll-to-roll), high material utilization etc. In addition, organic photovoltaics (OPV) also provides attractive properties like flexibility, colorful displays and transparency which could open new market opportunities. The material and device innovations lead to improved efficiency by 8% for organic photovoltaic solar cells, compared to 4% in 2005. Both academic and industry research have significant interest in the development of this technology. This book gives an overview of the booming technology, focusing on the solution process fo...

Full Text Available Present clause is devoted to scientific judgement and estimations of efficiency of stimulating mechanisms (tools of application of system of tax planning in the commercial organizations which allow to estimate разнонаправленное influence of taxes on final financial result of the organization, and also to predict change of business activity of the organization depending on tax loading. The big attention is given to complicated questions of features of management by the taxation and the order of reflection in the tax account of the facts of the economic activities arising between the state, on the one hand, and managing subjects - the commercial organizations - with another.

This Research Article describes a cooperative plasmonic effect on improving the performance of organic solar cells. When Au nanorods(NRs) are incorporated into the active layers, the designed project shows superior enhanced light absorption behavior comparing with control devices, which leads to the realization of organic solar cell with power conversion efficiency of 6.83%, accounting for 18.9% improvement. Further investigations unravel the influence of plasmonic nanostructures on light trapping, exciton generation, dissociation, and charge recombination and transport inside the thin films devices. Moreover, the introduction of high-conductivity Au NRs improves electrical conductivity of the whole device, which contributes to the enhanced fill factor.

and slow axis of the diode, respectively. The BAL output beam is single-passed through a periodically poled KTiOPO4 (PPKTP) crystal placed in an intra-cavity beam waist of a 1064 nm Nd:YVO4 laser, resulting in 100 mW of sum-frequency generated blue output power. This corresponds to a power conversion......Sum-frequency mixing of an 808 nm broad area laser (BAL) with a build-in grating structure for spectral control and a 1064 nm solid-state laser is experimentally investigated. The spectrally improved 20 mu m wide BAL can deliver up to 700 mW of output power with an M-2 of 1.4 and 5.3 in the fast...

Full Text Available Organic matter (OM in drinking water treatment is a common impediment responsible for increased coagulant and disinfectant dosages, formation of carcinogenic disinfection-by products, and microbial re-growth in distribution system. The inherent heterogeneity of OM implies the utilization of advanced analytical techniques for its characterization and assessment of removal efficiency. Here, the application of simple fluorescence excitation-emission technique to OM characterization in drinking water treatment is presented. The fluorescence data of raw and clarified water was obtained from 16 drinking water treatment works. The reduction in fulvic-like fluorescence was found to significantly correlate with OM removal measured with total organic carbon (TOC. Fluorescence properties, fulvic- and tryptophan-like regions, were found to discriminate OM fractions of different removal efficiencies. The results obtained in the study show that fluorescence spectroscopy provides a rapid and accurate characterization and quantification of OM fractions and indication of their treatability in conventional water treatment.

Highly efficientorganic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on multiple layers of vapor evaporated small molecules, indium tin oxide transparent electrode, and glass substrate have been extensively investigated and are being commercialized. The light extraction from the exciton radiative decay is limited to less than 30% due to plasmonic quenching on the metallic cathode and the waveguide in the multi-layer sandwich structure. Here we report a flexible nanocomposite electrode comprising single-walled carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires stacked and embedded in the surface of a polymer substrate. Nanoparticles of barium strontium titanate are dispersed within the substrate to enhance light extraction efficiency. Green polymer OLED (PLEDs) fabricated on the nanocomposite electrode exhibit a maximum current efficiency of 118 cd/A at 10,000 cd/m2 with the calculated external quantum efficiency being 38.9%. The efficiencies of white PLEDs are 46.7 cd/A and 30.5%, respectively. The devices can be bent to 3 mm radius repeatedly without significant loss of electroluminescent performance. The nanocomposite electrode could pave the way to high-efficiency flexible OLEDs with simplified device structure and low fabrication cost.

Thin-film blends or bilayers of donor- and acceptor-type organic semiconductors form the core of heterojunction organic photovoltaic cells. Researchers measure the quality of photovoltaic cells based on their power conversion efficiency, the ratio of the electrical power that can be generated versus the power of incident solar radiation. The efficiency of organic solar cells has increased steadily in the last decade, currently reaching up to 6%. Understanding and combating the various loss mechanisms that occur in processes from optical excitation to charge collection should lead to efficiencies on the order of 10% in the near future. In organic heterojunction solar cells, the generation of photocurrent is a cascade of four steps: generation of excitons (electrically neutral bound electron-hole pairs) by photon absorption, diffusion of excitons to the heterojunction, dissociation of the excitons into free charge carriers, and transport of these carriers to the contacts. In this Account, we review our recent contributions to the understanding of the mechanisms that govern these steps. Starting from archetype donor-acceptor systems of planar small-molecule heterojunctions and solution-processed bulk heterojunctions, we outline our search for alternative materials and device architectures. We show that non-planar phthalocynanines have appealing absorption characteristics but also have reduced charge carrier transport. As a result, the donor layer needs to be ultrathin, and all layers of the device have to be tuned to account for optical interference effects. Using these optimization techniques, we illustrate cells with 3.1% efficiency for the non-planar chloroboron subphthalocyanine donor. Molecules offering a better compromise between absorption and carrier mobility should allow for further improvements. We also propose a method for increasing the exciton diffusion length by converting singlet excitons into long-lived triplets. By doping a polymer with a

Full Text Available This research examines a non-formal ritual practice – the coffee break – inside organizations. Based on a survey conducted on 12 marketing and commercial teams in France, we analyse if the coffee break has an objective of social efficiency or of performance. While solving this question, our results also reveal the importance of seniority in the observed behaviors, suggesting that it symbolizes an informal level of authority in front of the formal authority symbolized by the status.

Full Text Available The advantages of the line form of production organization are shown. The examples of forming the lines in different branches of industry are given. Main characteristics of line production are presented. An important role in the development of new structures of car repair lines promoting in production efficiency and labor productivity growth is emphasized. Huge reserves in this direction can be seen in creation of multi-subject flexible asynchronous systems with high level of production mechanization and automation.

We demonstrate efficient red phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes with a bipolar emission structure (D-EML) formed by two different layers doped with a red phosphorescent dye. Due to its self-balancing character, the recombination zone is shifted far from the emission/carrier-blocking-layer interfaces. This prevents the accumulation of carriers at the interfaces and reduces the triplet-triplet annihilation, resulting in an improved efficiency of the D-EML device compared with the standard single-EML architecture. However, a current efficiency of 8.4 cd A -1 at 10 mA cm -2 is achieved in the D-EML device compared with 3.7 cd A -1 in the single-EML device

We demonstrate efficient red phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes with a bipolar emission structure (D-EML) formed by two different layers doped with a red phosphorescent dye. Due to its self-balancing character, the recombination zone is shifted far from the emission/carrier-blocking-layer interfaces. This prevents the accumulation of carriers at the interfaces and reduces the triplet-triplet annihilation, resulting in an improved efficiency of the D-EML device compared with the standard single-EML architecture. However, a current efficiency of 8.4 cd A{sup -1} at 10 mA cm{sup -2} is achieved in the D-EML device compared with 3.7 cd A{sup -1} in the single-EML device.

Improved efficiency of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on europium complexes have been realized by using a fluorescent dye 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-t-butyl-6 (1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl))-4H-pyran (DCJTB) doping .The luminous efficiency of the devices with a fluorescent dye in the emissive layer was found to improve two times of that in devices without fluorescent dye. The devices showed pure red light, which is the characteristic emission of trivalent europium ion with a full-width at half-maximum of 3 nm.The maximum brightness and luminous efficiency reached 1200 cd/m{sup 2} at 23 V and 7.3 cd/A (2.0 lm/w), respectively, at a current density of 0.35 mA/cm{sup 2}.

In this work, poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene)-co-(4,7-di-2-thienyl-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole) (PF-5DTBT) and copolymer poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (PSMA) dots were prepared as additive for active layer doping to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs), which based on poly[N-9″-hepta-decanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4‧,7‧-di-2-thienyl-2‧,1‧,3‧-benzothiadiazole) (PCDTBT) and [6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl-ester (PC71BM). A high efficiency of 7.40% was achieved due to increase of short-circuit current (Jsc) and fill factor (FF). The operation mechanism of OSCs doping with polymer dots was investigated, which demonstrated that the efficiency enhancement ascribes to improvement of electrical properties, such as exciton generation, exction dissociation, charge transport, and charge collection.

We have realized highly efficient tandem organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) employing an easily fabricated charge generation unit (CGU) combining 1,4,5,8,9,11-hexaazatriphenylene-hexacarbonitrile with ultrathin bilayers of CsN3 and Al. The charge generation and separation processes of the CGU have been demonstrated by studying the differences in the current density-voltage characteristics of external-carrier-excluding devices. At high luminances of 1000 and 10000 cd/m2, the current efficiencies of the phosphorescent tandem device are about 2.2- and 2.3-fold those of the corresponding single-unit device, respectively. Simultaneously, an efficient tandem white OLED exhibiting high color stability and warm white emission has also been fabricated.

Organic-inorganic hybrid metal halide perovskites, an emerging class of solution processable photoactive materials, welcome a new member with a one-dimensional structure. Herein we report the synthesis, crystal structure and photophysical properties of one-dimensional organic lead bromide perovskites, C4N2H14PbBr4, in which the edge sharing octahedral lead bromide chains [PbBr4 2-]∞ are surrounded by the organic cations C4N2H14 2+ to form the bulk assembly of core-shell quantum wires. This unique one-dimensional structure enables strong quantum confinement with the formation of self-trapped excited states that give efficient bluish white-light emissions with photoluminescence quantum efficiencies of approximately 20% for the bulk single crystals and 12% for the microscale crystals. This work verifies once again that one-dimensional systems are favourable for exciton self-trapping to produce highly efficient below-gap broadband luminescence, and opens up a new route towards superior light emitters based on bulk quantum materials.

Full Text Available In the intensive pig production in the state of Yucatan, 62 biodigesters were installed in the last 10 years. However, the complexities of the anaerobic biodigestion enclose difficulties to reach the expected efficiency. The objective of the present study was to determine the removal efficiency of the organic matter in pig slurry using biodigesters in the state of Yucatan. There were visited 15 pig farms in the state of Yucatan to interview the farmer about the management of the farm and the waste disposal and to take samples of the influent of the collector of the pig slurry and the effluent of the biodigestor and evaluating the samples by laboratory analysis. The removal values found in the present study were 7 percentage points below the reference value of total volatile solids, which represent the organic matter fraction of the solids treated in the biodigestor. More than the 50 % of the farms evaluated were similar or higher than the parameters of reference. The removal efficiency of the organic matter in the pig slurry by biodigesters in the state of Yucatan is close to the reference values. However complementary treatments are necessary to continue the waste slurry treatment.

Full Text Available In modern conditions of digitalization of the economy, its integration with the policy society questions of formation and development of corporate culture of the learning organisation are of particular relevance. Digital transformation of business dictates the need for the emergence and development of learning organizations, creating and preserving knowledge. In this situation, the openness of issues of assessment of efficiency of processes of formation and development defines the importance of the proposed research. Corporate culture is regarded by most scholars as the most important internal resource of the organization, able to provide her with stability in a crisis and give impetus to the development and transition to qualitatively different levels of the life cycle. This position assumes that a strong corporate culture should be aimed at building a learning organization, able to quickly adapt to changes in the external and internal environment. This article examines the issue of assessment of efficiency of corporate culture; it is shown that in addition to the empirical, sociological methods and qualitative approach to evaluation, is acceptable investment approach. This option appears when you use the aggregate target-oriented and project management methods, which allows in a systematic manner to carry out the formation and development of corporate culture. The assessment should be subject to software development activities and (or development of the corporate culture of a learning organization. In evidence to draw conclusions on the example of agricultural companies, a calculation of the economic efficiency of the program of formation of corporate culture of a learning organization. Calculation of net discounted income, the net present value of the project, profitability index, project profitability, payback period. This confirms the social and economic effects of the proposed program on the formation of corporate culture of independent

Silicon/organic heterojunction solar cells (HSCs) based on conjugated polymers, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), and n-type silicon (n-Si) have attracted wide attention due to their potential advantages of high efficiency and low cost. However, the state-of-the-art efficiencies are still far from satisfactory due to the inferior junction quality. Here, facile treatments were applied by pretreating the n-Si wafer in tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution and using a capping copper iodide (CuI) layer on the PEDOT:PSS layer to achieve a high-quality Schottky junction. Detailed photoelectric characteristics indicated that the surface recombination was greatly suppressed after TMAH pretreatment, which increased the thickness of the interfacial oxide layer. Furthermore, the CuI capping layer induced a strong inversion layer near the n-Si surface, resulting in an excellent field effect passivation. With the collaborative improvements in the interface chemical and electrical passivation, a competitive open-circuit voltage of 0.656 V and a high fill factor of 78.1% were achieved, leading to a stable efficiency of over 14.3% for the planar n-Si/PEDOT:PSS HSCs. Our findings suggest promising strategies to further exploit the full voltage as well as efficiency potentials for Si/organic solar cells.

This work presents novel technical and legal approaches that address privacy concerns for personal data in RFID systems. In recent years, to minimize the conflict between convenience and the privacy risk of RFID systems, organizations have been requested to disclose their policies regarding RFID activities, obtain customer consent, and adopt appropriate mechanisms to enforce these policies. However, current research on RFID typically focuses on enforcement mechanisms to protect personal data stored in RFID tags and prevent organizations from tracking user activity through information emitted by specific RFID tags. A missing piece is how organizations can obtain customers' consent efficiently and flexibly. This study recommends that organizations obtain licenses automatically or semi-automatically before collecting personal data via RFID technologies rather than deal with written consents. Such digitalized and standard licenses can be checked automatically to ensure that collection and use of personal data is based on user consent. While individuals can easily control who has licenses and license content, the proposed framework provides an efficient and flexible way to overcome the deficiencies in current privacy protection technologies for RFID systems.

Organic semiconductors devices, such as, organic solar cells (OSCs), organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) have drawn increasing interest in recent decades. As organic materials are flexible, light weight, and potentially low-cost, organic semiconductor devices are considered to be an alternative to their inorganic counterparts. This dissertation will focus mainly on OSCs and OLEDs. As a clean and renewable energy source, the development of OSCs is very promising. Cells with 9.2% power conversion efficiency (PCE) were reported this year, compared to < 8% two years ago. OSCs belong to the so-called third generation solar cells and are still under development. While OLEDs are a more mature and better studied field, with commercial products already launched in the market, there are still several key issues: (1) the cost of OSCs/OLEDs is still high, largely due to the costly manufacturing processes; (2) the efficiency of OSCs/OLEDs needs to be improved; (3) the lifetime of OSCs/OLEDs is not sufficient compared to their inorganic counterparts; (4) the physics models of the behavior of the devices are not satisfactory. All these limitations invoke the demand for new organic materials, improved device architectures, low-cost fabrication methods, and better understanding of device physics. For OSCs, we attempted to improve the PCE by modifying the interlayer between active layer/metal. We found that ethylene glycol (EG) treated poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT: PSS) improves hole collection at the metal/polymer interface, furthermore it also affects the growth of the poly(3- hexylthiophene) (P3HT):phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blends, making the phase segregation more favorable for charge collection. We then studied organic/inorganic tandem cells. We also investigated the effect of a thin LiF layer on the hole-collection of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc)/C70-based small molecular OSCs. A

Ten years ago, two INSEAD professors broke ground by introducing "blue ocean strategy," a new model for discovering uncontested markets that are ripe for growth. In this article, they apply their concepts and tools to what is perhaps the greatest challenge of leadership: closing the gulf between the potential and the realized talent and energy of employees. Research indicates that this gulf is vast: According to Gallup, 70% of workers are disengaged from their jobs. If companies could find a way to convert them into engaged employees, the results could be transformative. The trouble is, managers lack a clear understanding of what changes they could make to bring out the best in everyone. Here, Kim and Mauborgne offer a solution to that problem: a systematic approach to uncovering, at each level of the organization, which leadership acts and activities will inspire employees to give their all, and a process for getting managers throughout the company to start doing them. Blue ocean leadership works because the managers' "customers"-that is, the people managers oversee and report to-are involved in identifying what's effective and what isn't. Moreover, the approach doesn't require leaders to alter who they are, just to undertake a different set of tasks. And that kind of change is much easier to implement and track than changes to values and mind-sets.

An exciplex forming cohost system is employed to achieve a highly efficientorganic light-emitting diode (OLED) with good electroluminescent lifetime. The exciplex is formed at the interfacial contact of a conventional star-shaped carbazole hole-transporting material, 4,4',4″-tris(N-carbazolyl)-triphenylamine (TCTA), and a triazine electron-transporting material, 2,4,6-tris[3-(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)phenyl]-1,3,5-triazine (3P-T2T). The excellent combination of TCTA and 3P-T2T is applied as the cohost of a common green phosphorescent emitter with almost zero energy loss. When Ir(ppy) 2 (acac) is dispersed in such exciplex cohost system, OLED device with maximum external quantum efficiency of 29.6%, the ultrahigh power efficiency of 147.3 lm/W, and current efficiency of 107 cd/A were successfully achieved. More importantly, the OLED device showed a low-efficiency roll-off and an operational lifetime (τ 80 ) of ∼1020 min with the initial brightness of 2000 cd/m 2 , which is 56 times longer than the reference device. The significant difference of device stability was attributed to the degradation of exciplex system for energy transfer process, which was investigated by the photoluminescence aging measurement at room temperature and 100 K, respectively.

A shortage of fossil energy sources boosts the utilization of renewable energy. Among numerous novel techniques, recovering energy from low-grade heat sources through power generation via organic Rankine cycles (ORCs) is one of the focuses. Properties of working fluids are crucial for the ORC's performance. Many studies have been done to select proper working fluids or to design new working fluids. However, no researcher has systematically investigated the relationship between molecular structures and thermal efficiencies of various working fluids for an ideal ORC. This paper has investigated the interrelations of molecular structures, molecular entropies, and thermal efficiencies of various working fluids for an ideal ORC. By calculating thermal efficiencies and molecular entropies, we find that the molecular entropy is the most appropriate thermophysical property of a working fluid to determine how much energy can be converted into work and how much cannot in a system. Generally speaking, working fluids with low entropies will generally have high thermal efficiency for an ideal ORC. Based on this understanding, the direct interrelations of molecular structures and entropies provide an explicit interrelation between molecular structures and thermal efficiencies, and thus provide an insightful direction for molecular design of novel working fluids for ORCs.

Full Text Available We have overcome the synthetic difficulty of 9,9′,9′′,9′′′,9′′′′,9′′′′′-((phenylsilanetriyltris(benzene-5,3,1-triylhexakis(9H-carbazole (SimCP3 an advanced homologue of previously known SimCP2 as a solution-processed, high triplet gap energy host material for a blue phosphorescence dopant. A series of organic light-emitting diodes based on blue phosphorescence dopant iridium (III bis(4,6-difluorophenylpyridinatopicolate, FIrpic, were fabricated and tested to demonstrate the validity of solution-processed SimCP3 in the device fabrication.

A new adsorbent Cu-Perussian blue@Nanodiamond (Cu-PB@DND) for Cs + removal was prepared and characterized with IR, SEM, X-ray diffraction, particle size analysis, and zeta-potential. The adsorbent consists of a core of aggregated detonation nanodiamond (DND) particles with the surface treated with Cu-PB. Cesium adsorption was studied in two modes; a co-precipitation mode and a batch mode. In the co-precipitation mode, DND, CuCl 2 , and K 4 [Fe(CN) 6 ] were added sequentially to a Cs + solution in diluted artificial seawater. In the batch mode, adsorbent Cu-PB@DND was dispersed into a Cs + solution with stirring. The distribution coefficient (K d ) of the co-precipitation mode was 8.8 × 10 7 (mL/g) at Cs + 6.6 ppm in 0.07% seawater. The K d value of the batch mode was 1.3 × 10 6 (mL/g). Precipitation of Cs + -incorporated particles was complete, and post filtration was not necessary. Excess copper and iron ions were completely removed and were not detected in the supernatant. The adsorption data for Cu-PB@DND were analyzed by assuming Langmuir isotherm and a good fit was obtained with a maximum adsorption capacity Q max of 759 mg/g. The co-precipitation method was also applied to soil-treated wastewater.

Carbon cycling between the Earth's surface environment, i.e., the ocean-atmosphere system, and the Earth's interior is critical for differentiation, redox evolution, and long-term habitability of the planet. This carbon cycle is influenced heavily by the extent of carbon subduction. While the fate of carbonates during subduction has been discussed in numerous studies [e.g., 1], little is known how organic carbon is quantitatively transferred from the Earth's surface to the interior. Efficient subduction of organic carbon would remove reduced carbon from the surface environment over the long-term (≥100s Myrs) while release at subduction zone arc volcanoes would result in degassing of CO2. Here we conducted high pressure-temperature experiments to determine the carbon carrying capacity of slab derived, rhyolitic melts under graphite-saturated conditions over a range of P (1.5-3.0 GPa) and T (1100-1400 °C) at a fixed melt H2O content (2 wt.%) [2]. Based on our experimental data, we developed a thermodynamic model of CO2 dissolution in C-saturated slab melts, that allows us to quantify the extent of organic carbon mobility as a function of slab P, T, and fO2 during subduction through time. Our experimental data and thermodynamic model suggest that the subduction of graphitized organic C, and graphite/diamond formed by reduction of carbonates with depth [e.g., 3], remained efficient even in ancient, hotter subduction zones - conditions at which subduction of carbonates likely remained limited [1]. Considering the efficiency the subduction of organic C and potential conditions for ancient subduction, we suggest that the lack of remobilization in subduction zones and deep sequestration of organic C in the mantle facilitated the rise and maintenance atmospheric oxygen in the Paleoproterozoic and is causally linked to the Great Oxidation Event (GOE). Our modeling shows that episodic subduction and organic C sequestration pre-GOE may also explain occasional whiffs of

In this study, a home-made device comprising a column filled with magnetic mesoporous silica-coated nanostructures (MSCM-PA) as an adsorbent was constructed and used to remove organic pollutants from aqueous solutions. The MSCM-PA adsorbent was prepared and characterized using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis, and powder X-ray diffraction techniques. The adsorption behavior of the MSCM-PA sorbent was studied based on the removal of Everzol blue dye from aqueous solutions. We investigated the effects of various parameters such as the solution pH, initial dye concentration, adsorbent dose, flow rate, and contact time on the adsorption of Everzol blue from aqueous solutions. The adsorption data were modeled using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, and a good fit was obtained with the Langmuir isotherm. The maximum Everzol blue adsorption capacity by MSCM-PA was 162 mg g-1. The results indicate that our device is capable of adsorbing anionic dyes from aqueous solutions.

The fundamental limits of inorganic semiconductors for light emitting applications, such as holographic displays, biomedical imaging and ultrafast data processing and communication, might be overcome by hybridization with their organic counterparts, which feature enhanced frequency response and colour range. Innovative hybrid inorganic/organic structures exploit efficient electrical injection and high excitation density of inorganic semiconductors and subsequent energy transfer to the organic semiconductor, provided that the radiative emission yield is high. An inherent obstacle to that end is the unfavourable energy level offset at hybrid inorganic/organic structures, which rather facilitates charge transfer that quenches light emission. Here, we introduce a technologically relevant method to optimize the hybrid structure's energy levels, here comprising ZnO and a tailored ladder-type oligophenylene. The ZnO work function is substantially lowered with an organometallic donor monolayer, aligning the frontier levels of the inorganic and organic semiconductors. This increases the hybrid structure's radiative emission yield sevenfold, validating the relevance of our approach. PMID:25872919

The fundamental limits of inorganic semiconductors for light emitting applications, such as holographic displays, biomedical imaging and ultrafast data processing and communication, might be overcome by hybridization with their organic counterparts, which feature enhanced frequency response and colour range. Innovative hybrid inorganic/organic structures exploit efficient electrical injection and high excitation density of inorganic semiconductors and subsequent energy transfer to the organic semiconductor, provided that the radiative emission yield is high. An inherent obstacle to that end is the unfavourable energy level offset at hybrid inorganic/organic structures, which rather facilitates charge transfer that quenches light emission. Here, we introduce a technologically relevant method to optimize the hybrid structure's energy levels, here comprising ZnO and a tailored ladder-type oligophenylene. The ZnO work function is substantially lowered with an organometallic donor monolayer, aligning the frontier levels of the inorganic and organic semiconductors. This increases the hybrid structure's radiative emission yield sevenfold, validating the relevance of our approach.

Full Text Available Surface and groundwater resources are increasingly jeopardized by discharges from pharmaceutical, chemical, and detergent plants. The high pollutant load of the effluents from these industries requires specific treatments. The objective of this research was to study and compare the nanofiltration and adsorption hybrid system with the plain nanofiltration system in wastewater treatment.For this purpose, a pilot nanofiltration system with a capacity of 7.6 m3/d using 1 and 5 micron filters and a FILMTEC NF90-4040 membrane was used in the first phase of the study. In the second phase, granular activated carbon cartridges were used. Inluent and effluent discharges as well as the COD removal were measured in both systems under variable times and organic load conditions. The results showed that COD removal efficiency was higher in the hybrid system than in the plain naonofiltration one. In the hybrid system, the Maximum in the hybrid system, the COD removal efficiencies achieved for organic loads of 1000, 2000, and 3000 mg/L were 99%, 95.86%, and 92.93%, respectively. The same values for the plain nanofiltration system were 87.34%, 50%, and 29.41%, respectively. It was found that polarization and membrane fouling decreased both the effluent flow and the COD removal efficiency with time. Fouling of the membrane was, however, lower in the hybrid system compared to the plain nanofiltration; thus, the hybrid system was associated with higher values of COD removal and delayed membrane fouling.

The chain carrier index (CCI), defined as the ratio of the bond dissociation free energies (BDFE) of corresponding chain carrier halides and hydrides, is proposed as a measure of the thermodynamic efficiency of chain carriers for radical dehalogenation. The larger this value is relative to the corresponding value of the organic substrate, the more thermodynamically efficient the process. The chloride and bromide CCIs were evaluated at the G3(MP2)-RAD(+) level of theory for 120 different R-groups, covering a broad range of carbon-centered and noncarbon-centered species; the effects of solvent and temperature have also been studied. The broad finding from this work is that successful chain carriers generally maximize the strength of their halide (versus hydride bonds) through charge-shift bonding. As a result, the thermodynamic efficiency of a chain carrier tends to increase down the periodic table, and also with the inclusion of stronger electron donating substituents. The CCIs of carbon-centered species fall into a relatively narrow range so that, even when the CCI is maximized through inclusion of lone pair donor OMe or NMe(2) groups, the thermodynamic driving force for dehalogenation of other organic substrates is modest at best, and the process is likely to be kinetically hampered. Among the noncarbon-centered species studied, bismuth- and borane-centered compounds have some of the highest CCI values and, although their kinetics requires further optimization, these classes of compounds would be worth further investigation as tin-free radical reducing agents.

Although graphene films have a strong potential to replace indium tin oxide anodes in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), to date, the luminous efficiency of OLEDs with graphene anodes has been limited by a lack of efficient methods to improve the low work function and reduce the sheet resistance of graphene films to the levels required for electrodes. Here, we fabricate flexible OLEDs by modifying the graphene anode to have a high work function and low sheet resistance, and thus achieve extremely high luminous efficiencies (37.2 lm W-1 in fluorescent OLEDs, 102.7 lm W-1 in phosphorescent OLEDs), which are significantly higher than those of optimized devices with an indium tin oxide anode (24.1 lm W-1 in fluorescent OLEDs, 85.6 lm W-1 in phosphorescent OLEDs). We also fabricate flexible white OLED lighting devices using the graphene anode. These results demonstrate the great potential of graphene anodes for use in a wide variety of high-performance flexible organic optoelectronics.

Highlights: • Screen printing of silver pattern. • X-ray diffraction pattern confirmed the face centered cubic structure of silver. • Uniform surface morphology of silver pattern with sheet resistance of 0.06 Ω/sq. • The power conversion efficiency of fabricated solar cell is found to be 2.58%. - Abstract: The present work is mainly focused on replacement of the vacuum process for top electrode fabrication in organic solar cells. Silver top electrode deposited through solution based screen printing on pre-deposited polymeric thin film. The solution based printing technology provides uniform top electrode without damaging the underlying organic layers. The surface crystallinity and surface morphology of silver top electrode are examined through X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope. The purity of silver is examined through X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. The top electrode exhibits face centered cubic structure with homogeneous morphology. The sheet resistance of top electrode is found to be 0.06 Ω/sq and an average pattern thickness of ∼15 μm. The power conversion efficiency is 2.58%. Our work demonstrates that the solution based screen printing is a significant role in the replacement of vacuum process for the fabrication of top electrode in organic solar cells.

Highlights: • Screen printing of silver pattern. • X-ray diffraction pattern confirmed the face centered cubic structure of silver. • Uniform surface morphology of silver pattern with sheet resistance of 0.06 Ω/sq. • The power conversion efficiency of fabricated solar cell is found to be 2.58%. - Abstract: The present work is mainly focused on replacement of the vacuum process for top electrode fabrication in organic solar cells. Silver top electrode deposited through solution based screen printing on pre-deposited polymeric thin film. The solution based printing technology provides uniform top electrode without damaging the underlying organic layers. The surface crystallinity and surface morphology of silver top electrode are examined through X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope. The purity of silver is examined through X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. The top electrode exhibits face centered cubic structure with homogeneous morphology. The sheet resistance of top electrode is found to be 0.06 Ω/sq and an average pattern thickness of ∼15 μm. The power conversion efficiency is 2.58%. Our work demonstrates that the solution based screen printing is a significant role in the replacement of vacuum process for the fabrication of top electrode in organic solar cells

By using the A-value method, direct method and differential method respectively, the absorption and utilization of organic fertilizer-N by rice were studied. The results are as follows. The utilization efficiency of organic fertilizer-N was 25.48%∼50.5% by the differential method, 19.70%∼27.17% by the A-value method, and 18.49%∼24.80% by the direct method. The data by the differential method was higher than those by the other two methods, and there was no significant difference between the direct method and the A-value method. Meanwhile, when the ratio of inorganic fertilizer-N to organic fertilizer-N was 1:0.48, the results from above two methods were similar. The nitrogen efficiency of 1,5 x 10 4 kg fresh Astragalus sinicus L. was equivalent to 53.43 kg urea for early rice, and 39.15 kg urea for late rice

Full Text Available A polymeric-Al-Zn-Fe (PAZF coagulant showing high removal of pollutants has been successfully developed using a galvanized slag in earlier works, but it gave less elimination of phosphorus. To improve phosphorus removal, a hybrid organic-Al-Zn-Fe (HOAZF coagulant was prepared using PAZF and polyacrylamide (PAM as an organic additive, and then was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, infrared spectroscopy (IR, X-ray diffraction (XRD, and Zeta potential, respectively. Removing efficiency and mechanism of organophosphorus by HOAZF was probed using jar tests in treating a simulated pesticide wastewater containing dichlorvos (DDVP, compared to that by PAZF and polyaluminum chloride. The results displayed that HOAZF having relative lower Zeta potential (compared to PAZF exhibited complex surface morphology composited by Al, Zn and Fe and PAM, forming some new crystalline and amorphous substances different from that in PAZF. HOAZF gave higher removal of organophosphorus and far lower dosage than PAZF, and also posed a suitable wider pH range (pH = 7–12 for HOAZF and 10–11 for PAZF, respectively and suitable wider organophosphorus level range than PAZF. Removing organophosphorus by HOAZF was a simultaneous complex process involving a non-phase transfer of adsorption/bridging/sweeping and a phase transfer of chemical precipitation.

Full Text Available Description of the subject. Soil organic carbon (SOC plays critical role in terrestrial carbon (C cycling and is central to preserving soil quality, food security and environmental protection in agroecosystem. The prevailing soil and climatic conditions of cultivated and irrigated soils in warm semi-arid areas favor the rapid decomposition, mineralization and loss of SOC to the atmosphere which contribute to global warming. One potential strategy to address this C loss is the addition of organic amendments. Objectives. To investigate the effect of four contrasting organic wastes with and without NPK mineral fertilizer on SOC retention, water use efficiency (WUE and wheat yield in irrigated wheat-maize cropping system. Method. A 2-year field experiment was conducted using four organic wastes included municipal solid waste (MSW, farm yard manure (FYM, sugar industry waste (filter cake and maize cropping residues. All wastes were applied at 3 t C·ha-1 alone and with a full or half dose of NPK mineral fertilizer. Results. On average, among organic wastes as sole treatment, highest SOC content in the 0-15 cm layer was recorded in filter cake (6.5 t·ha-1 and MSW (5.9 t·ha-1. Addition of NPK fertilizer along with organic wastes, improved the SOC contents with the highest SOC (7.7 t·ha-1 by filter cake + full NPK treatment followed by the MSW + NPK (6.9 t·ha-1. On average, maximum wheat grain WUE (18 kg·ha-1·mm-1 and grain yield (4.8 t·ha-1 were obtained by MSW + full NPK treatment followed by filter cake + NPK. Conclusions. These results indicate that the targeted addition of organic wastes (filter cake or MSW have the best potential for improving SOC retention, WUE and wheat yield in irrigated maize-wheat cropping system.

Full Text Available The paper presents economic analysis of growing of legume-cereal intercropping in conditions of organic farming. Results of the analysis are based on data monitoring in chosen organic farms that grow LCI. In the paper there is also compared economic efficiency of LCI grown in organic and conventional farming system. Methodological solution results from costingness and earnings monitoring of LCI production in five chosen organic farms in the period 2007–2008.When evaluating costs existing in individual variants of LCI growing it is necessary to say that the selection of individual machines and machine aggregations represents the most important factor of influencing direct costs, namely with regard to the size of organic farms and to the area of individual field blocks. Under conditions of organic farms, the LCI production is also significantly influenced also by agrotechnical (tillage operations. As compared with conventional farms, the final yield of both green fodder and grain is lower by 14–38%. Total direct costs per hectare of harvested LCI acreage ranged in case of fodder production from 9.249 CZK to 11.620 CZK per hectare. In case of grain production, the corresponding costs ranged from 8.848 to 9.970 CZK per hectare. In case of LCI, the direct costs of organic farms per unit of production of both fodder and grain consist mainly of material costs, which represent 63–76% and 61–68% of total expenses associated with production of fodder and grain, respectively. These direct costs are influenced also by higher prices of inputs.

Many of the world's multi-reservoir water resource systems are being considered for further development of hydropower and irrigation aiming to meet economic, political and ecological goals. Complex river basins serve many needs so how should the different proposed groupings of reservoirs and their operations be evaluated? How should uncertainty about future supply and demand conditions be factored in? What reservoir designs can meet multiple goals and perform robustly in a context of global change? We propose an optimized multi-criteria screening approach to identify best performing designs, i.e., the selection, size and operating rules of new reservoirs within multi-reservoir systems in a context of deeply uncertain change. Reservoir release operating rules and storage sizes are optimized concurrently for each separate infrastructure design under consideration across many scenarios representing plausible future conditions. Outputs reveal system trade-offs using multi-dimensional scatter plots where each point represents an approximately Pareto-optimal design. The method is applied to proposed Blue Nile River reservoirs in Ethiopia, where trade-offs between capital costs, total and firm energy output, aggregate storage and downstream irrigation and energy provision for the best performing designs are evaluated. The impact of filling period for large reservoirs is considered in a context of hydrological uncertainty. The approach is also applied to the Koshi basin in Nepal where combinations of hydropower storage and run-of-river dams are being considered for investment. We show searching for investment portfolios that meet multiple objectives provides stakeholders with a rich view on the trade-offs inherent in the nexus and how different investment bundles perform differently under plausible futures. Both case-studies show how the proposed approach helps explore and understand the implications of investing in new dams in a global change context.

Polyaniline-TiO 2 (PANI-TiO 2 ) nanocomposite was prepared by in situ polymerisation method. X-ray diffractogram (XRD) showed the formation of PANI-TiO 2 nanocomposite with the average crystallite size of 46 nm containing anatase TiO 2 . The PANI-TiO 2 nanocomposite consisted of short-chained fibrous structure of PANI with spherical TiO 2 nanoparticles dispersed at the tips and edge of the fibres. The average hydrodynamic diameter of the nanocomposite was 99.5 nm. The band gap energy was 2.1 eV which showed its ability to absorb light in the visible range. The nanocomposite exhibited better visible light-mediated photocatalytic activity than TiO 2 (Degussa P25) in terms of degradation of Reactive Blue (RB-19) dye. The photocatalysis was favoured under initial acidic pH, and complete degradation of 50 mg/L dye could be achieved at optimum catalyst loading of 1 g/L. The kinetics of degradation followed the Langmuir-Hinshelhood model. PANI-TiO 2 nanocomposite showed almost similar photocatalytic activity under UV and visible light as well as in the solar light which comprises of radiation in both UV and visible light range. Chemical oxygen demand removal of 86% could also be achieved under visible light, confirming that simultaneous mineralization of the dye occurred during photocatalysis. PANI-TiO 2 nanocomposites are promising photocatalysts for the treatment of industrial wastewater containing RB-19 dye.

Graphical abstract: Reduced graphene oxide/Ni microspheres, being prepared under ultrasound conditions, exhibit a better removal efficiency to decolorize RhB with ultrasonic-assisted decolorization process. - Highlights: • One-step synthesis of Ni@graphene microspheres under ultrasound conditions. • During the ultrasonic process, graphene oxide was reduced and Ni nanoparticles were formed and anchored on graphene sheets. • The products exhibit excellent performance for fast and efficient removal of dye contaminants. • The nanocomposites can be easily separated from solution by a magnet. - Abstract: In this article, we report a facile one-step synthesis of Ni@graphene nanocomposite microspheres (NGs) in hydrazine hydrate solution under ultrasound conditions. During the ultrasonic process, graphene oxide (GO) was reduced effectively under mild conditions and Ni nanoparticles were simultaneously formed and anchored on graphene sheets, which act as spacers to keep the neighboring sheets separated. The target products exhibit excellent performance for fast and efficient removal of dye contaminants, rhodamine B (RhB) in aqueous solution, under assistance of ultrasound. Finally, the nanocomposites can be easily separated from solution by a magnet. Furthermore, higher content of graphene can be produced under sonication, which facilitates faster and more efficient removal of organic contaminates in the solution. The nanocomposites were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis.

Graphical abstract: Reduced graphene oxide/Ni microspheres, being prepared under ultrasound conditions, exhibit a better removal efficiency to decolorize RhB with ultrasonic-assisted decolorization process. - Highlights: • One-step synthesis of Ni@graphene microspheres under ultrasound conditions. • During the ultrasonic process, graphene oxide was reduced and Ni nanoparticles were formed and anchored on graphene sheets. • The products exhibit excellent performance for fast and efficient removal of dye contaminants. • The nanocomposites can be easily separated from solution by a magnet. - Abstract: In this article, we report a facile one-step synthesis of Ni@graphene nanocomposite microspheres (NGs) in hydrazine hydrate solution under ultrasound conditions. During the ultrasonic process, graphene oxide (GO) was reduced effectively under mild conditions and Ni nanoparticles were simultaneously formed and anchored on graphene sheets, which act as spacers to keep the neighboring sheets separated. The target products exhibit excellent performance for fast and efficient removal of dye contaminants, rhodamine B (RhB) in aqueous solution, under assistance of ultrasound. Finally, the nanocomposites can be easily separated from solution by a magnet. Furthermore, higher content of graphene can be produced under sonication, which facilitates faster and more efficient removal of organic contaminates in the solution. The nanocomposites were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis.

Various exciton annihilation processes are known to impact the efficiency roll-off of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs); however, isolating and quantifying their contribution in the presence of other factors such as changing charge balance continue to be a challenge for routine device characterization. Here, we analyze OLED electroluminescence resulting from a sinusoidal dither superimposed on the device bias and show that nonlinearity between recombination current and light output arising from annihilation mixes the quantum efficiency measured at different dither harmonics in a manner that depends uniquely on the type and magnitude of the annihilation process. We derive a series of analytical relations involving the DC and first harmonic external quantum efficiency that enable annihilation rates to be quantified through linear regression independent of changing charge balance and evaluate them for prototypical fluorescent and phosphorescent OLEDs based on the emitters 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(4-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran and platinum octaethylporphyrin, respectively. We go on to show that, in most cases, it is sufficient to calculate the needed quantum efficiency harmonics directly from derivatives of the DC light versus current curve, thus enabling this analysis to be conducted solely from standard light-current-voltage measurement data.

The effect of organic coating on the heterogeneous ice nucleation (IN) efficiency of dust particles was investigated at simulated cirrus cloud conditions in the AIDA cloud chamber of Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe. Arizona test dust (ATD) and the clay mineral illite were used as surrogates for atmospheric dust aerosols. The dry dust samples were dispersed into a 3.7 m{sup 3} aerosol vessel and either directly transferred into the 84 m{sup 3} cloud simulation chamber or coated before with the semi-volatile products from the reaction of {alpha}-pinene with ozone in order to mimic the coating of atmospheric dust particles with secondary organic aerosol (SOA) substances. The ice-active fraction was measured in AIDA expansion cooling experiments as a function of the relative humidity with respect to ice, RHi, in the temperature range from 205 to 210 K. Almost all uncoated dust particles with diameters between 0.1 and 1.0 {mu}m acted as efficient deposition mode ice nuclei at RHi between 105 and 120%. This high ice nucleation efficiency was markedly suppressed by coating with SOA. About 20% of the ATD particles coated with a SOA mass fraction of 17 wt% were ice-active at RHi between 115 and 130%, and only 10% of the illite particles coated with an SOA mass fraction of 41 wt% were ice-active at RHi between 160 and 170%. Only a minor fraction of pure SOA particles were ice-active at RHi between 150 and 190%. Strong IN activation of SOA particles was observed only at RHi above 200%, which is clearly above water saturation at the given temperature. The IN suppression and the shift of the heterogeneous IN onset to higher RHi seem to depend on the coating thickness or the fractional surface coverage of the mineral particles. The results indicate that the heterogeneous ice nucleation potential of atmospheric mineral particles may also be suppressed if they are coated with secondary organics.

The effect of organic coating on the heterogeneous ice nucleation (IN) efficiency of dust particles was investigated at simulated cirrus cloud conditions in the AIDA cloud chamber of Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe. Arizona test dust (ATD) and the clay mineral illite were used as surrogates for atmospheric dust aerosols. The dry dust samples were dispersed into a 3.7 m 3 aerosol vessel and either directly transferred into the 84 m 3 cloud simulation chamber or coated before with the semi-volatile products from the reaction of α-pinene with ozone in order to mimic the coating of atmospheric dust particles with secondary organic aerosol (SOA) substances. The ice-active fraction was measured in AIDA expansion cooling experiments as a function of the relative humidity with respect to ice, RHi, in the temperature range from 205 to 210 K. Almost all uncoated dust particles with diameters between 0.1 and 1.0 μm acted as efficient deposition mode ice nuclei at RHi between 105 and 120%. This high ice nucleation efficiency was markedly suppressed by coating with SOA. About 20% of the ATD particles coated with a SOA mass fraction of 17 wt% were ice-active at RHi between 115 and 130%, and only 10% of the illite particles coated with an SOA mass fraction of 41 wt% were ice-active at RHi between 160 and 170%. Only a minor fraction of pure SOA particles were ice-active at RHi between 150 and 190%. Strong IN activation of SOA particles was observed only at RHi above 200%, which is clearly above water saturation at the given temperature. The IN suppression and the shift of the heterogeneous IN onset to higher RHi seem to depend on the coating thickness or the fractional surface coverage of the mineral particles. The results indicate that the heterogeneous ice nucleation potential of atmospheric mineral particles may also be suppressed if they are coated with secondary organics

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Simple solution-processed CuO X hole transport layer for efficientorganic solar cell. • Good photovoltaic performances as hole transport layer in OSCs with P3HT and PBDTTT-C as donor materials. • The device with CuO X as hole transport layer shows great improved stability compared with that of device with PEDOT:PSS as hole transport layer. - Abstract: A simple, solution-processed ultrathin CuO X anode buffer layer was fabricated for high performance organic solar cells (OSCs). XPS measurement demonstrated that the CuO X was the composite of CuO and Cu 2 O. The CuO X modified ITO glass exhibit a better surface contact with the active layer. The photovoltaic performance of the devices with CuO X layer was optimized by varying the thickness of CuO X films through changing solution concentration. With P3HT:PC 61 BM as the active layer, we demonstrated an enhanced PCE of 4.14% with CuO X anode buffer layer, compared with that of PEDOT:PSS layer. The CuO X layer also exhibits efficient photovoltaic performance in devices with PBDTTT-C:PC 71 BM as the active layer. The long-term stability of CuO X device is better than that of PEDOT:PSS device. The results indicate that the easy solution-processed CuO X film can act as an efficient anode buffer layer for high-efficiency OSCs

Compact and efficient sources of blue light for full color display applications and lighting eluded and tantalized researchers for many years. Semiconductor light sources are attractive owing to their reliability and amenability to mass manufacture. However, large band gaps are required to achieve blue color. A class of compound semiconductors formed by metal nitrides, GaN and its allied compounds AIGaN and InGaN, exhibits properties well suited for not only blue and blue-green emitters, but also for ultraviolet emitters and detectors. What thwarted engineers and scientists from fabricating useful devices from these materials in the past was the poor quality of material and lack of p-type doping. Both of these obstacles have recently been overcome to the point where highluminosity blue and blue-green light-emitting diodes are now available in the marketplace.

Organic solar cells (OSC’s) have attracted much attention in the past years due to their low costs, light weight and mechanical flexibility. A promising method for improving the power conversion efficiencies of the devices is by incorporating structured electrodes in the solar cell architecture....... That way light absorption in the active layers of the devices can be improved. A cheap and large-scale production compatible method for structuring the electrodes in OSC’s is by the use of Anodic Alumina Oxide (AAO) membranes. Here, nano-scale pores of controlled dimensions are formed through anodic...

The effect of the polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) interlayer on the hole injection and the device performances of the green phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) was investigated. The hole current density of the hole only device was improved and the power efficiency of the green PHOLEDs was enhanced from 10.5 to 12.5 lm/W by the PVDF interlayer. The reduction of the interfacial energy barrier was responsible for the high hole current density in the PVDF interlayer based green PHOLEDs.

Full Text Available An approach that combines Self-Organizing maps, hierarchical clustering and network components is presented, aimed at comparing protein conformational ensembles obtained from multiple Molecular Dynamic simulations. As a first result the original ensembles can be summarized by using only the representative conformations of the clusters obtained. In addition the network components analysis allows to discover and interpret the dynamic behavior of the conformations won by each neuron. The results showed the ability of this approach to efficiently derive a functional interpretation of the protein dynamics described by the original conformational ensemble, highlighting its potential as a support for protein engineering.

The study was conducted in Poland at six selected wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) based on the trickling filters Bioclere® technology. The aim of the study was to find the relationship between the influent organic nitrogen concentration and the purification efficiency expressed as effluent COD concentration. In the tests performed, the COD to BOD5 relationship was close to 2 and the ratio of BOD5 to TN was lower than 4. The research indicated that this specific chemical composition of raw wastewater causes appearance of filamentous bacteria on the surface of trickling filter filling and strongly affect the effluent quality.

A laboratory scale experiment was set up to test the effect of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) as well as ageing of the La–P complex formed during phosphorus (P) sequestration by a La modified clay (Phoslock®). Short term (7 days) P adsorption studies revealed a significant negative effect of added...... DOC on the P sequestration of Phoslock®, whereas a long-term P adsorption experiment revealed that the negative effect of added DOC was reduced with time. The reduced P binding efficiency is kinetic, as evident from solid-state 31P magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy, who showed that the P...

In this paper, an improvement in the properties of the small molecular organic light emitting diode (OLED) upon application of a polymeric hole injection layer (HIL) was reported. The luminous efficiency, operating voltage and lifetime of devices with dye-doped small molecule emitters (fluorescent and phosphorescent) were found to be sensitive to the HIL/hole transport layer (HTL) combination used, where the improved injection and brightness was shown at the hole cascading structure and the longer lifetime behaviour was obtained at the hole-trapping structure. Use of a polymeric HIL significantly increased the luminous current efficiency and lifetime for both fluorescent blue and phosphorescent green/red light emitters. The polymeric HIL was effective in terms of the driving characteristics of phosphorescent OLED, since it provides higher brightness behaviour at lower current density. The apparent shade of the pixel image at light emission, which will probably induce degradation at the pixel wall interface, will be suppressed by the use of polymeric HIL. In spite of the ambiguity in the formation of such shaded pixels and their influence at the decay of OLED, intrinsic stability of polymeric HIL/anode would be advantageous for stable storage and operation of devices.

High piezo-photocatalytic efficiency of degrading organic pollutants has been realized from CuS/ZnO nanowires using both solar and mechanical energy. CuS/ZnO heterostructured nanowire arrays are compactly/vertically aligned on stainless steel mesh by a simple two-step wet-chemical method. The mesh-supported nanocomposites can facilitate an efficient light harvesting due to the large surface area and can also be easily removed from the treated solution. Under both solar and ultrasonic irradiation, CuS/ZnO nanowires can rapidly degrade methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution, and the recyclability is investigated. In this process, the ultrasonic assistance can greatly enhance the photocatalytic activity. Such a performance can be attributed to the coupling of the built-in electric field of heterostructures and the piezoelectric field of ZnO nanowires. The built-in electric field of the heterostructure can effectively separate the photogenerated electrons/holes and facilitate the carrier transportation. The CuS component can improve the visible light utilization. The piezoelectric field created by ZnO nanowires can further separate the photogenerated electrons/holes through driving them to migrate along opposite directions. The present results demonstrate a new water-pollution solution in green technologies for the environmental remediation at the industrial level.

Automatic localization of organs and other structures in medical images is an important preprocessing step that can improve and speed up other algorithms such as organ segmentation, lesion detection, and registration. This work presents an efficient method for simultaneous localization of multiple structures in 3D thorax-abdomen CT scans. Our approach predicts the location of multiple structures using a single multi-label convolutional neural network for each orthogonal view. Each network takes extra slices around the current slice as input to provide extra context. A sigmoid layer is used to perform multi-label classification. The output of the three networks is subsequently combined to compute a 3D bounding box for each structure. We used our approach to locate 11 structures of interest. The neural network was trained and evaluated on a large set of 1884 thorax-abdomen CT scans from patients undergoing oncological workup. Reference bounding boxes were annotated by human observers. The performance of our method was evaluated by computing the wall distance to the reference bounding boxes. The bounding boxes annotated by the first human observer were used as the reference standard for the test set. Using the best configuration, we obtained an average wall distance of 3.20~+/-~7.33 mm in the test set. The second human observer achieved 1.23~+/-~3.39 mm. For all structures, the results were better than those reported in previously published studies. In conclusion, we proposed an efficient method for the accurate localization of multiple organs. Our method uses multiple slices as input to provide more context around the slice under analysis, and we have shown that this improves performance. This method can easily be adapted to handle more organs.

Epithelial morphogenesis is directed by interactions with the underlying extracellular matrix. Secretion of collagen and other matrix components requires efficient coat complex II (COPII) vesicle formation at the endoplasmic reticulum. Here, we show that suppression of the outer layer COPII component, Sec13, in zebrafish embryos results in a disorganized gut epithelium. In human intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2), Sec13 depletion causes defective epithelial polarity and organization on permeable supports. Defects are seen in the ability of cells to adhere to the substrate, form a monolayer and form intercellular junctions. When embedded in a three-dimensional matrix, Sec13-depleted Caco-2 cells form cysts but, unlike controls, are defective in lumen expansion. Incorporation of primary fibroblasts within the three-dimensional culture substantially restores normal morphogenesis. We conclude that efficient COPII-dependent secretion, notably assembly of Sec13–Sec31, is required to drive epithelial morphogenesis in both two- and three-dimensional cultures in vitro, as well as in vivo. Our results provide insight into the role of COPII in epithelial morphogenesis and have implications for the interpretation of epithelial polarity and organization assays in cell culture. PMID:22331354

Epithelial morphogenesis is directed by interactions with the underlying extracellular matrix. Secretion of collagen and other matrix components requires efficient coat complex II (COPII) vesicle formation at the endoplasmic reticulum. Here, we show that suppression of the outer layer COPII component, Sec13, in zebrafish embryos results in a disorganized gut epithelium. In human intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2), Sec13 depletion causes defective epithelial polarity and organization on permeable supports. Defects are seen in the ability of cells to adhere to the substrate, form a monolayer and form intercellular junctions. When embedded in a three-dimensional matrix, Sec13-depleted Caco-2 cells form cysts but, unlike controls, are defective in lumen expansion. Incorporation of primary fibroblasts within the three-dimensional culture substantially restores normal morphogenesis. We conclude that efficient COPII-dependent secretion, notably assembly of Sec13-Sec31, is required to drive epithelial morphogenesis in both two- and three-dimensional cultures in vitro, as well as in vivo. Our results provide insight into the role of COPII in epithelial morphogenesis and have implications for the interpretation of epithelial polarity and organization assays in cell culture.

The tritium needed as a fuel for fusion reactors is produced by the neutron capture reaction of lithium-6 ( 6 Li) in tritium breeding materials. New lithium isotope separation technique using ionic-liquid impregnated organic membranes (Ionic-Liquid-i-OMs) have been developed. Lithium ions are able to move by electrodialysis through certain Ionic-Liquid-i-OMs between the cathode and the anode in lithium solutions. In this report, the effects of protection cover and membrane thickness on the durability of membrane and the efficiency of isotope separation were evaluated. In order to improve the durability of the Ionic-Liquid-i-OM, we developed highly-durable Ionic-Liquid-i-OM. Both surfaces of the Ionic-Liquid-i-OM were covered by a nafion 324 overcoat or a cation exchange membrane (SELEMION TM CMD) to prevent the outflow of the ionic liquid. It was observed that the durability of the Ionic-Liquid-i-OM was improved by a nafion 324 overcoat. On the other hand, the organic membrane selected was 1, 2 or 3 mm highly-porous Teflon film, in order to efficiently impregnate the ionic liquid. The 6 Li isotope separation factor by electrodialysis using highly-porous Teflon film of 3 mm thickness was larger than using that of 1 or 2 mm thickness.

Color temperature (CT) of light has great effect on human physiology and psychology, and low CT light, minimizing melatonin suppression and decreasing the risk of breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer. We demonstrates the incorporation of a blend carrier modulation interlayer (CML) between emissive layers to improve the device performance of low CT organic light emitting diodes, which exhibits an external quantum efficiency of 22.7% and 36 lm W-1 (54 cd A-1) with 1880 K at 100 cd m-2, or 20.8% and 29 lm W-1 (50 cd A-1) with 1940 K at 1000 cd m-2. The result shows a CT much lower than that of incandescent bulbs, which is 2500 K with 15 lmW-1 efficiency, and even as low as that of candles, which is 2000 K with 0.1 lmW-1. The high efficiency of the proposed device may be attributed to its CML, which helps effectively distribute the entering carriers into the available recombination zones.

A novel fulleropyrrolidine derivative, named as FPNOH, was designed, synthesized and utilized as an efficient electron-collecting (EC) layer for inverted organic solar cells (i-OSCs). The grafted diethanolamino-polar moieties can not only trigger its function as an EC interlayer, but also induce orthogonal solubility that guarantees subsequent multi-layer processing without interfacial mixing. A higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) value of 8.34% was achieved for i-OSC devices with ITO/FPNOH EC electrode, compared to that of the sol-gel ZnO based reference devices with an optimized PCE value of 7.92%. High efficiency exceeding 7.7% was still achieved even for the devices with a relatively thick PFNOH film (16.9 nm). It is worthwhile to mention that this kind of material exhibits less thickness dependent performance, in contrast to widely utilized p-type conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) as well as the non-conjugated polyelectrolytes (NCPEs). Further investigation on illuminating intensity dependent parameters revealed the role of FPNOH in reducing interfacial traps-induced recombination at ITO/active layer interface.

A novel fulleropyrrolidine derivative, named as FPNOH, was designed, synthesized and utilized as an efficient electron-collecting (EC) layer for inverted organic solar cells (i-OSCs). The grafted diethanolamino-polar moieties can not only trigger its function as an EC interlayer, but also induce orthogonal solubility that guarantees subsequent multi-layer processing without interfacial mixing. A higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) value of 8.34% was achieved for i-OSC devices with ITO/FPNOH EC electrode, compared to that of the sol-gel ZnO based reference devices with an optimized PCE value of 7.92%. High efficiency exceeding 7.7% was still achieved even for the devices with a relatively thick PFNOH film (16.9 nm). It is worthwhile to mention that this kind of material exhibits less thickness dependent performance, in contrast to widely utilized p-type conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) as well as the non-conjugated polyelectrolytes (NCPEs). Further investigation on illuminating intensity dependent parameters revealed the role of FPNOH in reducing interfacial traps-induced recombination at ITO/active layer interface.

A novel approach based on three-dimensional (3D) architecture for polymeric photovoltaic cells made up of an array of sub-micron and nano-pillars which not only increase the area of the light absorbing surface, but also improve the carrier collection efficiency of bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells is presented. The approach also introduces coating of 3D anodes with a new solution-processable highly conductive transparent polymer (Orgacon™) that replaces expensive vacuum-deposited ITO (indium tin oxide) as well as the additional hole-collecting layer of conventional PEDOT:PSS (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate)). In addition, the described procedure is well suited to roll-to-roll high-throughput manufacturing. The high aspect-ratio 3D pillars which form the basis for this new architecture are patterned through micro-electromechanical-system- and nano-electromechanical-system-based processes. For the particular case of P3HT (poly(3-hexylthiophene)) and PCBM (phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester) active material, efficiencies in excess of 6% have been achieved for these photovoltaic cells of 3D architecture using ITO-less flexible PET (polyethylene terephthalate) substrates. This increase in efficiency turns out to be more than twice higher than those achieved for their 2D counterparts. (paper)

Hetero-junction organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells consisting of donor (D) and acceptor (A) layers have been regarded as next-generation PV cells, because of their fascinating advantages, such as lightweight, low fabrication cost, resource free, and flexibility, when compared to those of conventional PV cells based on silicon and semiconductor compounds. However, the power conversion efficiency (η) of the OPV cells has been still around 8%, though more than 10% efficiency has been required for their practical use. To fully optimize these OPV cells, it is necessary that the low mobility of carriers/excitons in the OPV cells and the open circuit voltage (V OC), of which origin has not been understood well, should be improved. In this review, we address an improvement of the mobility of carriers/excitons by controlling the crystal structure of a donor layer and address how to increase the V OC for zinc octaethylporphyrin [Zn(OEP)]/C60 hetero-junction OPV cells [ITO/Zn(OEP)/C60/Al]. It was found that crystallization of Zn(OEP) films increases the number of inter-molecular charge transfer (IMCT) excitons and enlarges the mobility of carriers and IMCT excitons, thus significantly improving the external quantum efficiency (EQE) under illumination of the photoabsorption band due to the IMCT excitons. Conversely, charge accumulation of photo-generated carriers in the vicinity of the donor/acceptor (D/A) interface was found to play a key role in determining the V OC for the OPV cells.

We report on the characteristics of enhanced and balanced white-light emission of transparent organic light emitting diodes (TOLEDs) by introducing anode that has a stack structure of ITO/metal/ITO (IMI). We have investigated an anode that has a stack structure of IMI. IMI anodes are typically composed of a thin Ag layer (˜15 nm) sandwiched between two ITO layers (˜50 nm). By inserting an Ag layer it was possible to achieve sheet resistance lower than 3 Ω/sq. and transmittance of 86% at a wavelength of 550 nm. The Ag insert can act as a reflective component. With its counterpart, a transparent cathode made of a thin Ag layer (˜15 nm), micro-cavities (MC) can be effectively induced in the OLED, leading to improved performance. Using an IMI anode, it was possible to significantly increase the current efficiencies. The current efficiencies of the top and the bottom of the IMI TOLED increased to 23.0 and 15.6 cd/A, respectively, while those of the white TOLED with the ITO anode were 20.7 and 5.1 cd/A, respectively. A 30% enhancement in the overall current efficiency was achieved by taking advantage of the MC effect and the low sheet resistance.

P3HT:PCBM is one of the most studied polymer-fullerene system. However the reported power conversion efficiency (PCE) values falls within the range of 4% to 5%. The thin film architecture in OPVs exhibits low PCE compared to inorganic photovoltaic cells. This is mainly due to the low exciton diffusion length that limits the active layer thickness which in turn reduces the absorption of incident light. Several strategies are adapted in order to increase the absorption in the active layer without increasing the film thickness. Inclusion of metal nanoparticles into the polymer layer of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells is one of the promising methods. Incorporation of metal nanostructures increases the absorption of organic materials due to the high electromagnetic field strength in the vicinity of the excited surface plasmons. In this work, we used 60 nm Au plasmonic structures to improve the efficiency of organic solar cell. The prepared metal nano structures were characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-Visible spectroscopy techniques. These prepared metallic nanoparticles can be incorporated either into the electron transport layer (ETL) or into the active P3HT:PC71BM layer. The effect of incorporation of plasmonic gold (Au) nanoparticle in the inverted bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) of P3HT:PC71BM fabricated in ambient air condition is in progress. Initial studies shows an 8.5% enhancement in the PCE with the incorporation of Au nanoparticles under AM1.5G light of intensity 1 Sun.

Gene expression is known to correlate with degree of codon bias in many unicellular organisms. However, such correlation is absent in some organisms. Recently we demonstrated that inverted complementary repeats within coding DNA sequence must be considered for proper estimation of translation efficiency, since they may form secondary structures that obstruct ribosome movement. We have developed a program for estimation of potential coding DNA sequence expression in defined unicellular organism using its genome sequence. The program computes elongation efficiency index. Computation is based on estimation of coding DNA sequence elongation efficiency, taking into account three key factors: codon bias, average number of inverted complementary repeats, and free energy of potential stem-loop structures formed by the repeats. The influence of these factors on translation is numerically estimated. An optimal proportion of these factors is computed for each organism individually. Quantitative translational characteristics of 384 unicellular organisms (351 bacteria, 28 archaea, 5 eukaryota) have been computed using their annotated genomes from NCBI GenBank. Five potential evolutionary strategies of translational optimization have been determined among studied organisms. A considerable difference of preferred translational strategies between Bacteria and Archaea has been revealed. Significant correlations between elongation efficiency index and gene expression levels have been shown for two organisms (S. cerevisiae and H. pylori) using available microarray data. The proposed method allows to estimate numerically the coding DNA sequence translation efficiency and to optimize nucleotide composition of heterologous genes in unicellular organisms. http://www.mgs.bionet.nsc.ru/mgs/programs/eei-calculator/.

We measured the 12.8 μm [Ne ii] line in the dwarf starburst galaxy He 2–10 with the high-resolution spectrometer TEXES on the NASA IRTF. The data cube has a diffraction-limited spatial resolution of ∼1″ and a total velocity resolution, including thermal broadening, of ∼5 km s −1 . This makes it possible to compare the kinematics of individual star-forming clumps and molecular clouds in the three dimensions of space and velocity, and allows us to determine star formation efficiencies. The kinematics of the ionized gas confirm that the starburst contains multiple dense clusters. From the M/R of the clusters and the ≃30%–40% star formation efficiencies, the clusters are likely to be bound and long lived, like globulars. Non-gravitational features in the line profiles show how the ionized gas flows through the ambient molecular material, as well as a narrow velocity feature, which we identify with the interface of the H ii region and a cold dense clump. These data offer an unprecedented view of the interaction of embedded H ii regions with their environment

Full Text Available Small-CHP (Combined Heat and Power systems are generally considered a valuable technological option to the conventional boilers, in a technology developed context. If small-CHP systems are associated with the use of renewable energies (biomass, for example they could play an important role in distributed generation even in developing countries or, in any case, where there are no extensive electricity networks. Traditionally the considered heat engines for micro- or mini-CHP are: the gas engine, the gas turbine (with internal combustion, the steam engine, engine working according to the Stirling and to the Rankine cycles, the last with organic fluids. In principle, also fuel cells could be used. In this paper, we focus on small size Rankine cycles (10–15 k W with organic working fluids. The assumed heat source is hot combustion gases at high temperature (900–950 ∘ C and we assume to use only single stages axial turbines. The need to work at high temperatures, limits the choice of the right organic working fluids. The calculation results show the limitation in the performances of simple cycles and suggest the opportunity to resort to complex (binary cycle configurations to achieve high net conversion efficiencies (15–16%.

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) with high mobility and low contact resistance have been actively pursued as building blocks for low-cost organic electronics. In conventional solution-processed or vacuum-deposited OTFTs, due to interfacial defects and traps, the organic film has to reach a certain thickness for efficient charge transport. Using an ultimate monolayer of 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2- b ][1]benzothiophene (C 8 -BTBT) molecules as an OTFT channel, we demonstrate remarkable electrical characteristics, including intrinsic hole mobility over 30 cm 2 /Vs, Ohmic contact with 100 Ω · cm resistance, and band-like transport down to 150 K. Compared to conventional OTFTs, the main advantage of a monolayer channel is the direct, nondisruptive contact between the charge transport layer and metal leads, a feature that is vital for achieving low contact resistance and current saturation voltage. On the other hand, bilayer and thicker C 8 -BTBT OTFTs exhibit strong Schottky contact and much higher contact resistance but can be improved by inserting a doped graphene buffer layer. Our results suggest that highly crystalline molecular monolayers are promising form factors to build high-performance OTFTs and investigate device physics. They also allow us to precisely model how the molecular packing changes the transport and contact properties.

Full Text Available The comparative effects of organic rice and conventional rice on the protein efficiency ratio (PER in rats were investigated by feeding 40 male Sprague-Dawley rats for four weeks with three experimental diets containing polished conventional rice (PCR, unpolished conventional rice (UCR, unpolished organic rice (UOR and a control protein diet (casein under standardised conditions. All diets were prepared according to AOAC guidelines. The results showed no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05 among the values of PER (2.75 ± 0.14 - 2.80 ± 0.09 in rats fed with diets containing PCR, UCR or UOR. Similar growth was also observed among the three groups fed with different experimental diets. Additionally, residues of pesticides, viz. carbofuran, methyl parathion, p-nitrophenol and -cyfluthrin, in rat blood and rice samples were determined using liquid chromatography–electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry. Pesticide residues were not detected in all serum samples of experimental rats and only p-nitrophenol was found (8.23 ± 0.65 - 12.84 ± 2.58 mg/kg in all samples of the cooked rice diets, indicating that organic rice produced similar effect as conventional rice on PER and growth in rats.

In state-of-the-art blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diode (PHOLED) device architectures, electrons and holes are injected into the emissive layer, where they are carried by the emitting and hole transporting units, respectively. Using transient electroluminescence measurements, we disentangle the contribution of the electrons and holes on the transport and efficiency of both pristine and degraded PHOLEDs. By varying the concentration of hole transporting units, we show that for pristine PHOLEDs, the transport is electron dominated. Furthermore, degradation of the PHOLEDs upon electrical aging is not related to the hole transport but is governed by a decrease in the electron transport due to the formation of electron traps.

We report on a theoretical framework for the efficiency analysis of complex, multi-emitter organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). The calculation approach makes use of electromagnetic modeling to quantify the overall OLED photon outcoupling efficiency and a phenomenological description for electrical and excitonic processes. From the comparison of optical modeling results and measurements of the total external quantum efficiency, we obtain reliable estimates of internal quantum yield. As application of the model, we analyze high-efficiency stacked white OLEDs and comment on the various efficiency loss channels present in the devices.

Graphical abstract: . The efficiency of mechanochemical treatments in degrading CAT molecules in presence of the highly reactive phyllomanganate birnessite, and without using organic solvents, has been demonstrated in the present study. Integrating information from different techniques on solid let it possible to get a comprehensive picture of the most reliable reaction mechanism of degradation of CAT molecules onto KBi surfaces, thus allowing the individuation of specific sites in the synthesized oxides on which catechol molecules were preferentially adsorbed, and thus degraded. The degradation mechanism mainly occurs via a redox reaction. It implies the formation of a surface bidentate inner-sphere complex between the phenolic group of the organic molecules and the Mn(IV) from the birnessite structure. Structural changes occur on the MnO{sub 6} layers of birnessite as due to the mechanically induced surface reactions: reduction of Mn(IV), consequent formation of Mn(III) and new vacancies, and free Mn{sup 2+} ions production. The extent of the mechanochemical degradation of CAT onto birnessite surfaces is higher. This is a consequence of the two phenolic groups of catechol that easily reacts. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A basic insight at molecular scale of the mechanically induced transformations of CAT onto birnessite is obtained. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The abiotic degradative mechanisms of CAT onto birnessite is provided. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The mechanically induced degradation of CAT mainly occurs via a redox reaction. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mechanochemistry improves the efficiency of birnessite to degrade CAT. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The mechanochemical technique offer potentials in remediating contaminated sites. - Abstract: The aim of this work is to investigate the efficiency of the phyllomanganate birnessite in degrading catechol after mechanochemical treatments. A synthesized birnessite and the organic molecule were

Recent literatures reported blue-green emission from amyloid fibril as exclusive signature of fibril formation. This unusual visible luminescence is regularly used to monitor fibril growth. Blue-green emission has also been observed in crystalline protein and in solution. However, the origin of this emission is not known exactly. Our spectroscopic study of serum proteins reveals that the blue-green emission is a property of protein monomer. Evidences suggest that semiconductor-like band struc...

Four phenanthroimidazole-based bipolar compounds having electron-donating carbazole or diphenylamino moieties were synthesized and characterized. All compounds form glasses and exhibit high glass transition temperatures ranging from 183 to 239 °C. Solid state blue emission was detected for all synthesized compounds and quantum yields in solid state reached 0.55. Room temperature hole and electron mobilities in the layers of phenanthroimidazole derivatives reached 3.14 × 10−4 and 5.69 × 10−4 c...

Tin(IV) oxide has been intensively employed in optoelectronic devices due to its excellent electrical and optical properties. But the high recombination rates of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs of SnO2 nanomaterials often results in low photocatalytic efficiency. Herein, we proposed a facile route to prepare a novel Fe2O3/SnO2 heterojunction structure. The nanobelt arrays grown on iron foil naturally form a Schottky-type contact and provide a direct pathway for the photogenerated excitons. Hence, the Fe2O3/SnO2 nanobelt arrays exhibit much improved photocatalytic performance with the degradation rate constant on the Fe2O3/SnO2 film of approximately 12 times to that of α-Fe2O3 nanobelt arrays.

Full Text Available Graphene, a material composed of one-atom-thick planar sheets of sp2-bonded carbon atoms with a two-dimensional honeycomb structure, has been proposed for many applications due to its remarkable electronic, optical, thermal, and mechanical properties. Its high transparency, conductivity, flexibility, and abundance make it an excellent material to be applied in the field of organic photovoltaic cells, especially as a replacement for transparent conducting oxide electrodes. However, graphene has been demonstrated to be useful not only as substitute for indium tin oxide electrodes, but also as cathode, electron acceptor, hole transport, and electron extraction material. Thus, in this work, we summarize and discuss the efficiency of bulk heterojunction devices using graphene as a main constituent.

Multi-layered epitaxial nanofibers are exemplary model systems for the study of exciton dynamics and lasing in organic materials due to their well-defined morphology, high luminescence efficiencies, and color tunability. We resort to temperature-dependent cw and picosecond photoluminescence (PL......) spectroscopy to quantify exciton diffusion and resonance-energy transfer (RET) processes in multi-layered nanofibers consisting of alternating layers of para-hexaphenyl (p6P) and α-sexithiophene (6T), serving as exciton donor and acceptor material, respectively. The high probability for RET processes...... is confirmed by Quantum Chemical calculations. The activation energy for exciton diffusion in p6P is determined to be as low as 19 meV, proving p6P epitaxial layers also as a very suitable donor material system. The small activation energy for exciton diffusion of the p6P donor material, the inferred high p6P...

Reducing energy and voltage loss is an imperative area of improvement for the design of organic solar cells (OSCs). Both in the context of charge generation and charge recombination, significant amounts of energy are lost even in state-of-the-art OSCs compared with their inorganic counterparts. Through a set of recent examples, however, we show that (1) charge generation can proceed with high quantum efficiency even in the absence of an offset energy at the donor-acceptor interface and (2) non-radiative charge recombination may be mitigated by considering systems with distinct properties of the interfacial charge-transfer state. To capitalize on these recent advances in understanding, we provide three actionable paths forward that aim to better identify, process, and characterize low energy loss systems: incorporating consistent and accurate measurements for energy levels, moving away from photoluminescence quenching, and exploring blends with reduced miscibility.

The external emission efficiency of organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) is analysed by studying the rate of spontaneous emission of both singlet and triplet excitons and their corresponding radiative lifetimes. Rates of spontaneous emissions are calculated from the first order perturbation theory using the newly discovered time-dependent spin-orbit-exciton-photon interaction operator as the perturbation operator. It is clearly shown how the new interaction operator is responsible for attracting triplet excitons to a phosphor (heavy metal atom) and then it flips the spins to a singlet configuration. Thus, the spin forbidden transition becomes spin allowed. Calculated rates agree with the experimental results qualitatively. Results are of general interests for OLED studies. (copyright 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Copolymers based on diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) have recently gained potential in organic photovoltaics. When blended with another acceptor such as PCBM, intermolecular charge transfer occurs which may result in the formation of charge transfer (CT) states. We present here the spectral photocurrent characteristics of two donor-acceptor DPP based copolymers, PDPP-BBT and TDPP-BBT, blended with PCBM to identify the CT states. The spectral photocurrent measured using Fourier-transform photocurrent spectroscopy (FTPS) and monochromatic photocurrent (PC) methods are compared with P3HT:PCBM, where the CT state is well known. PDPP-BBT:PCBM shows a stable CT state while TDPP-BBT does not. Our analysis shows that the larger singlet state energy difference between TDPP-BBT and PCBM along with the lower optical gap of TDPP-BBT obliterates the formation of a midgap CT state resulting in an enhanced photovoltaic efficiency over PDPP-BBT:PCBM.

Reducing energy and voltage loss is an imperative area of improvement for the design of organic solar cells (OSCs). Both in the context of charge generation and charge recombination, significant amounts of energy are lost even in state-of-the-art OSCs compared with their inorganic counterparts. Through a set of recent examples, however, we show that (1) charge generation can proceed with high quantum efficiency even in the absence of an offset energy at the donor-acceptor interface and (2) non-radiative charge recombination may be mitigated by considering systems with distinct properties of the interfacial charge-transfer state. To capitalize on these recent advances in understanding, we provide three actionable paths forward that aim to better identify, process, and characterize low energy loss systems: incorporating consistent and accurate measurements for energy levels, moving away from photoluminescence quenching, and exploring blends with reduced miscibility.

The food and beverage industry is seeking to broaden the palette of naturally derived colorants. Although considerable effort has been devoted to the search for new blue colorants in fruits and vegetables, less attention has been directed toward blue compounds from other sources such as bacteria and fungi. The current work reviews known organicblue compounds from natural plant, animal, fungal, and microbial sources. The scarcity of blue-colored metabolites in the natural world relative to metabolites of other colors is discussed, and structural trends common among natural blue compounds are identified. These compounds are grouped into seven structural classes and evaluated for their potential as new color additives.

Blue emitting BaMgAl{sub 10}O{sub 17}:Eu{sup 2+} (BAM) phosphor is indispensable for Plasma Display panel and lighting because of high luminescence efficiency. However, thermal degradation (annealing in air at 500–600 °C) of BAM (upto ∼30%) remains an intriguing problem for display industry worldwide. In the present study, a systematic approach is pursued to develop highly efficient BAM phosphor that exhibits least degradation, understand the role of Eu{sup 2+} site occupancy in such BAM phosphor and encapsulate individual phosphor grains with a shell of silica nanoparticles. The approaches lead to highly efficient BAM:Eu{sup 2+} phosphor that showed no degradation against thermal baking (annealing at 500 °C in air) for both UV and VUV radiation under UV and VUV excitation. An optimum solid state chemical route including precursor phases, dopant concentration, and thermal regimes has been evolved to develop BAM. Emission from Eu{sup 2+} occupying three different sites is identified with energetically stable anti Beevers Ross as the dominant contributor. Coating by nano sized amorphous silica sol with subsequent sintering lead to uniform silica shell. This nano silica layer also helps to enhance the luminescence from phosphor grains. -- Highlights: • Synthesis process optimization done to obtain BAM:Eu{sup 2+} phosphor of high QE (95%). • Site occupancy of Eu{sup 2+} ions in BAM lattice and its relation to stability analyzed. • Individual phosphor grains coated by layer of silica nanoparticles. • Preferred Eu{sup 2+} site occupancy and inert silica layer arrested thermal degradation in BAM. • Developed BAM:Eu{sup 2+} phosphor with high QE is completely thermal degradation resistant.

Donor–acceptor organic solar cells often show low open-circuit voltages (VOC) relative to their optical energy gap (Eg) that limit power conversion efficiencies to ~12%. This energy loss is partly attributed to the offset between Eg and that of intermolecular charge transfer (CT) states at the donor–acceptor interface. Here we study charge generation occurring in PIPCP:PC61BM, a system with a very low driving energy for initial charge separation (Eg−ECT ~ 50 meV) and a high internal quantum efficiency (ηIQE ~ 80%). We track the strength of the electric field generated between the separating electron-hole pair by following the transient electroabsorption optical response, and find that while localised CT states are formed rapidly (<100 fs) after photoexcitation, free charges are not generated until 5 ps after photogeneration. In PIPCP:PC61BM, electronic disorder is low (Urbach energy <27 meV) and we consider that free charge separation is able to outcompete trap-assisted non-radiative recombination of the CT state.

A novel solution processable charge generating layer (CGL) that consists of 1,4,5,8,9,11-hexaazatriphenylene hexacarbonitrile (HATCN{sub 6})/Poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK): 1,1-bis-(4-bis(4-tolyl)-aminophenyl) cyclohexene (TAPC) for a tandem green phosphorescent organic light emitting diode (PHOLED) is demonstrated. The use of orthogonal solvent to dissolve HATCN{sub 6} and PVK:TAPC is the key to overcome the interface erosion problem for the solution processed CGL. The current efficiency of the 2 wt% TAPC mixed with PVK is the highest at 24.2 cd/A, which is more than three-folds higher than that of the single device at 1000 cd/m{sup 2}. - Highlights: • A solution processable tandem OLED is built using a novel charge generating layer. • HATCN{sub 6} and PVK:TAPC are shown to be effective charge generating layers. • The turn on voltages for tandem devices are almost similar to single unit. • 2 wt% TAPC blended with PVK exhibits three-folds increase in efficiency.

This work shows a promising approach to improve device performance by optimizing the electron transport and hole injection layers for tetraphenyldibenzoperiflanthene (DBP):rubrene-based red fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). We compared the effect of two electron transport layers (ETLs), and found that the rubrene/bathophenanthroline (Bphen) ETL-based OLED showed a much higher external quantum efficiency (EQE) (4.67%) than the Alq3 ETL-based OLED (EQE of 3.08%). The doping ratio of DBP in rubrene was tuned from 1.0 wt% to 4.5 wt%, and the 1.5 wt%-DBP:rubrene-based OLED demonstrated the highest EQE of 5.24% and lowest turn-on voltage of 2.2 V. Atomic force microscopy images indicated that 1.5 wt% DBP-doped rubrene film exhibited a regular strip shape, and this regular surface was favorable to the hole and electron recombination in the emitting layer. Finally, the sorbitol-doped poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) was used to further improve the EQE; doping with 6 wt% sorbitol achieved the highest current efficiency of 7.03 cd A‑1 and an EQE of 7.50%. The significantly enhanced performance implies that the hole injection is a limiting factor for DBP:rubrene-based red fluorescent OLEDs.

Donor–acceptor organic solar cells often show low open-circuit voltages (VOC) relative to their optical energy gap (Eg) that limit power conversion efficiencies to ~12%. This energy loss is partly attributed to the offset between Eg and that of intermolecular charge transfer (CT) states at the donor–acceptor interface. Here we study charge generation occurring in PIPCP:PC61BM, a system with a very low driving energy for initial charge separation (Eg−ECT ~ 50 meV) and a high internal quantum efficiency (ηIQE ~ 80%). We track the strength of the electric field generated between the separating electron-hole pair by following the transient electroabsorption optical response, and find that while localised CT states are formed rapidly (<100 fs) after photoexcitation, free charges are not generated until 5 ps after photogeneration. In PIPCP:PC61BM, electronic disorder is low (Urbach energy <27 meV) and we consider that free charge separation is able to outcompete trap-assisted non-radiative recombination of the CT state.

Controlling charge injection at the metal-semiconductor interface is very crucial for organic electronic devices in general as it can significantly influence the overall device performance. Herein, we report a facile, yet efficient contact modification approach, to enhance the hole injection efficiency through the incorporation of a high vacuum deposited TPD [N,N'-Bis(3-methylphenyl)-N,N'-diphenylbenzidine] interlayer between the electrodes and the active semiconducting layer. The device performance parameters such as mobility and on/off ratio improved significantly after the inclusion of the TPD buffer layer, and more interestingly, the devices with cost effective Ag and Cu electrodes were able to exhibit a superior device performance than the typically used Au source-drain devices. We have also observed that this contact modification technique can be even more effective than commonly used metal oxide interface modifying layers. Our investigations demonstrate the efficacy of the TPD interlayer in effectively reducing the interfacial contact resistance through the modification of pentacene energy levels, which consequently results in the substantial improvement in the device performances.

Graphene-based organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have recently emerged as a key element essential in next-generation displays and lighting, mainly due to their promise for highly flexible light sources. However, their efficiency has been, at best, similar to that of conventional, indium tin oxide-based counterparts. We here propose an ideal electrode structure based on a synergetic interplay of high-index TiO2 layers and low-index hole-injection layers sandwiching graphene electrodes, which results in an ideal situation where enhancement by cavity resonance is maximized yet loss to surface plasmon polariton is mitigated. The proposed approach leads to OLEDs exhibiting ultrahigh external quantum efficiency of 40.8 and 62.1% (64.7 and 103% with a half-ball lens) for single- and multi-junction devices, respectively. The OLEDs made on plastics with those electrodes are repeatedly bendable at a radius of 2.3 mm, partly due to the TiO2 layers withstanding flexural strain up to 4% via crack-deflection toughening.

White organic light emitting devices with the structure of ITO/m-MTDATA:x%4F-TCNQ/NPB/TBADN:EBDP:DCJTB/Bphen:Liq/LiF/Al have been demonstrated in this paper. High-mobility m-MTDATA:4F-TCNQ is added into the region between ITO and NBP to increase hole injection and transport. The high-mobility Bphen:Liq layer is added into the region between cathode and emission layers to lower cathode barrier and facilitate carrier injection. In the meanwhile, an effective carrier balance (number of holes is equal to number of electrons) between holes and electrons is considered to be one of the most important factors for improving OLEDs. During the experiment, by modulating the doping concentration of 4F-TCNQ, we can control hole injection and transport to make the carriers reach a high-level balance. The maximum current efficiency and power efficiency of devices were 9.3 cd/A and 4.6 lm/A, respectively.

Full Text Available In this study, fabrication of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon/Perylene Tetracarboxylic Di-Imide (PTCDI, donor/acceptor solar cells are presented using physical vapour deposition technique in a 1000 class glove box. An ITO/PEDOT:PSS/Pentacene/PTCDI/Al (ITO = Indium Tin Oxide and PEDOT:PSS = poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene polystyrene sulfonate solar cell has been obtained and the power conversion efficiency, PCE (η of about 0.33% has been obtained under simulated solar illumination of 300 W/m2. Furthermore, the effects of annealing temperatures (at 100 and 150 °C and of annealing (at 100 °C times for 5 and 10 min. on the power conversion efficiency, η of the solar cells have also been investigated. In general, it has been seen that the thermal annealing deteriorated the characteristics parameters of Pentacene/PTCDI solar cell such that both fill factor, FF and η decreased after annealing and with increase of annealing time. Atomic force microscopy (AFM images showed that the phase segregation and grain size increased and the surface roughness of Pentacene film decreased and these effects reduced the η value. The η values of the solar cell have been determined as 0.33%, 0.12% and 0.06% for pre-annealing, annealing at 100 and 150 °C, respectively. Keywords: Organic solar cells, PTCDI, Pentacene, Annealing

In this work, a core-shell nanostructure of samarium phosphates encapsulated into a Eu(3+)-doped silica shell has been successfully fabricated, which has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-resolution TEM. Moreover, we report the energy transfer process from the Sm(3+) to emitters Eu(3+) that widens the light absorption range of the hybrid solar cells (HSCs) and the strong enhancement of the electron-transport of TiO2/poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) bulk heterojunction (BHJ) HSCs by introducing the unique core-shell nanoarchitecture. Furthermore, by applying femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, we successfully obtain the electron transport lifetimes of BHJ systems with or without incorporating the core-shell nanophosphors (NPs). Concrete evidence has been provided that the doping of core-shell NPs improves the efficiency of electron transfers from donor to acceptor, but the hole transport almost remains unchanged. In particular, the hot electron transfer lifetime was shortened from 30.2 to 16.7 ps, i.e., more than 44% faster than pure TiO2 acceptor. Consequently, a notable power conversion efficiency of 3.30% for SmPO4@Eu(3+):SiO2 blended TiO2/P3HT HSCs is achieved at 5 wt % as compared to 1.98% of pure TiO2/P3HT HSCs. This work indicates that the core-shell NPs can efficiently broaden the absorption region, facilitate electron-transport of BHJ, and enhance photovoltaic performance of inorganic/organic HSCs.

Full Text Available Design of efficient thin film photovoltaic (PV cells require optical power absorption to be computed inside a nano-scale structure of photovoltaics, dielectric and plasmonic materials. Calculating power absorption requires Maxwell’s electromagnetic equations which are solved using numerical methods, such as finite difference time domain (FDTD. The computational cost of thin film PV cell design and optimization is therefore cumbersome, due to successive FDTD simulations. This cost can be reduced using a surrogate-based optimization procedure. In this study, we deploy neural networks (NNs to model optical absorption in organic PV structures. We use the corresponding surrogate-based optimization procedure to maximize light trapping inside thin film organic cells infused with metallic particles. Metallic particles are known to induce plasmonic effects at the metal–semiconductor interface, thus increasing absorption. However, a rigorous design procedure is required to achieve the best performance within known design guidelines. As a result of using NNs to model thin film solar absorption, the required time to complete optimization is decreased by more than five times. The obtained NN model is found to be very reliable. The optimization procedure results in absorption enhancement greater than 200%. Furthermore, we demonstrate that once a reliable surrogate model such as the developed NN is available, it can be used for alternative analyses on the proposed design, such as uncertainty analysis (e.g., fabrication error.

Full Text Available Cactus is crucial for the livestock of semi - arid regions in Brazil. This plant has shown the high productivity of forage, which is influenced by several management factors. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of organic fertilization doses (20, 40 and 80 t/ ha of bovine manure/ha/two years and planting densities (20, 40, 80 and 160 thousand plants/ha on the productivity of cactus pear Clone IPA - 20 ( Opuntia ficus - indica Mill. At the Experimental Station of Caruaru at the Agronomic Institute of Pernambuco, IPA has conducted the experiment. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with split plot arrangements. Higher shoot productivity was observed with increased population density and the application of manure at 80 t ha - 1two years - 1 with values of 61, 90, 117 and 139 t DM ha - 1 two years - 1 at densities of 20, 40, 80 and 160,000 plants ha - 1. The planting density influenced the productivity of cladode - plant and root dry weight, showing exponential responses, with higher cladode - plant and roots weight by area observed with increased plant density. The efficiency of organic fertilization decreased with the increase in manure doses. For increase cactus productivity, 40 t of bovine manure ha - 1 two years - 1 for plantations with 160,000 plants/ha is recommended.

The production of a high efficiency microbial flocculant (MBF) by Proteus mirabilis TJ-1 using compound organic wastewater was investigated. To cut down the cost of the MBF production, several nutritive organic wastewaters were selected to replace glucose and peptone as the carbon source and the nitrogen source in the optimized medium of strain TJ-1, respectively. The compound wastewater of the milk candy and the soybean milk was found to be good carbon source and nitrogen source for this strain to produce MBF. The cost-effective culture medium consists of (per liter): 800 mL wastewater of milk candy, 200 mL wastewater of soybean milk, 0.3 g MgSO4ṡ7 H2O, 5 g K2HPO4, 2 g and KH2PO4, pH 7.0. The economic cost for the MBF production can be cut down over a half by using the developed culture medium. Furthermore, the utilization of the two wastewaters in the preparation of culture medium of strain TJ-1 can not only save their big treatment cost, but also realize their resource reuse.

Full Text Available Leadership style plays essential role on the success of organizations. The proposed study of this paper compares the efficiency of leadership study based on EFQM and Bass models in national land and housing organization of Iran. The proposed study of this paper designs a questionnaire and distributes it among all managers on this organization. The study covers all different levels of management including middle and top-level management. The results of the survey indicate that the average efficiency of EFQM model is located in 2.7276

Wastewater released from the textile industry contains variety substances, mainly dyes that contains a high concentration of color and organic. In this study the potential for bacterial decolorization of coractive blue dye was examined that isolated from textile wastewater. The optimum conditions were determined for pH, temperature and initial concentration of the dye. The bacteria isolated was Pseudomonas spp. The selected bacterium shows high decolorization in static condition at an optimum of pH 7.0. The Pseudomonas spp. could decolorize coractive blue dye by 70% within 24 h under static condition, with the optimum of pH 7.0. Decolorization was confirmed by using UV-VIS spectrophotometer. This present study suggests the potential of Pseudomonas spp. as an approach in sustainable bioremediation that provide an efficient method for decolorizing coractive blue dye.

Blue vitiligo is a distinct variant of vitiligo characterized by a blue-grey appearance of the skin, which corresponds histologically with absence of epidermal melanocytes and presence of numerous dermal melanophages. A 23-year-old woman of Indian origin with Fitzpatrick skin type V presented with a 1-month history of normoaesthetic depigmented macules over the right forearm, dorsa of the hands and right areola. The macule over the right forearm had a bluish tinge. A clinical diagnosis of vitiligo vulgaris with blue vitiligo was made. Dermatoscopy of the interface between the blue macule and the hypopigmented macule revealed a linear depigmented macule in the centre with multiple blue dots and absence of epidermal melanin on the side of the blue macule, and reticular pigmentation with a few depigmented macules and scattered blue dots over the side of the hypopigmented macule. Blue vitiligo was described previously in a patient seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus, and believed to represent postinflammatory hyperpigmentation in areas bordering the vitiliginous patches as a result of psoralen ultraviolet A treatment. This case is unusual because of its rarity and the description of the associated dermatoscopical findings.

This article describes a concept called the "blue ocean thinking strategy," developed by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, professors at INSEAD, an international graduate school of business in France. The "blue ocean" thinking strategy considers opportunities to create new markets for services, rather than focusing solely on…

Organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology is an attractive solar-electric conversion paradigm due to the promise of low cost roll-to-roll production and amenability to flexible substrates. Power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeding 7% has recently been achieved. OPV cells suffer from low charge carrier mobilities of polymers, leading to recombination losses, higher series resistances and lower fill-factors. Thus, it is imperative to develop fabrication methodologies that can enable efficient optical absorption in films thinner than optical absorption length. Active layers conformally deposited on light-trapping, microscale textured, grating-type surfaces is one possible approach to achieve this objective. In this study, 40% theoretical increase in photonic absorption over flat OPVs is shown for devices with textured geometry by the simulation results. For verifying this theoretical result and improving the efficiency of OPVs by light trapping, OPVs were fabricated on grating-type textured substrates possessing t pitch and -coat PV active-layer on these textured substrates led to over filling of the valleys and shunts at the crest, which severely affected the performance of the resultant PV devices. Thus, it is established that although the optical design is important for OPV performance but the potential of light trapping can only be effectively tapped if the textures are amenable for realizing a conformal active layer. It is discovered that if the height of the underlying topographical features is reduced to sub-micron regime (e.g. 300 nm) and the pitch is increased to more than a micron (e.g. 2 μm), the textured surface becomes amenable to coating a conformal PV active-layer. The resultant PV cells showed 100% increase in average light absorption near the band edge due to trapping of higher wavelength photons, and 20% improvement in power conversion efficiency as compared with the flat PV cell. Another factor that severely limits the performance of OPVs is

Full Text Available In this paper, a novel type of white-light organic light emitting diode (OLED with high color stability was reported, in which the yellow-light emission layer of (4,4′-N,N′-dicarbazolebiphenyl (CBP : tris(2-phenylquinoline-C2,N′iridium(III (Ir(2-phq3 was sandwiched by double blue-light emission layers of 1,1-bis-[(di-4-tolylaminopheny1]cyclohexane (TAPC : bis[4,6-(di-fluorophenyl-pyridinato-N,C2′]picolinate (FIrpic and tris[3-(3-pyridylmesityl]borane (3TPYMB:FIrpic. And, it exhibited the maximum current efficiency of 33.1 cd/A, the turn-on voltage at about 3 V and the maximum luminance in excess of 20000 cd/m2. More important, it realized very stable white-light emission, and its CIE(x, y coordinates only shift from (0.34, 0.37 to (0.33, 0.37 as applied voltage increased from 5 V to 12 V. It is believed that the new scheme in emission layer of white-light OLED can fine tune the contribution of primary emission with applied voltage changed, resulting in high quality white-light OLED.

In this paper, a novel type of white-light organic light emitting diode (OLED) with high color stability was reported, in which the yellow-light emission layer of (4,4{sup ′}-N,N{sup ′}-dicarbazole)biphenyl (CBP) : tris(2-phenylquinoline-C2,N{sup ′})iridium(III) (Ir(2-phq){sub 3}) was sandwiched by double blue-light emission layers of 1,1-bis-[(di-4-tolylamino)pheny1]cyclohexane (TAPC) : bis[4,6-(di-fluorophenyl)-pyridinato-N,C2{sup ′}]picolinate (FIrpic) and tris[3-(3-pyridyl)mesityl]borane (3TPYMB):FIrpic. And, it exhibited the maximum current efficiency of 33.1 cd/A, the turn-on voltage at about 3 V and the maximum luminance in excess of 20000 cd/m{sup 2}. More important, it realized very stable white-light emission, and its CIE(x, y) coordinates only shift from (0.34, 0.37) to (0.33, 0.37) as applied voltage increased from 5 V to 12 V. It is believed that the new scheme in emission layer of white-light OLED can fine tune the contribution of primary emission with applied voltage changed, resulting in high quality white-light OLED.

High-performance undoped white organic light-emitting diode (OLED) has been fabricated using an ultrathin yellow-emitting layer of 5,6,11,12-tetraphenylnaphthacene (rubrene) inserted at two sides of interface between two N,N'-bis-(1-naphthyl)-N,N'- biphenyl-1,1'-biphenyl-4,4'- diamine (NPB) layers as a hole transporting and blue emissive layer, respectively. The results showed that a maximum luminance of the device reached to as high as 21,500 cd/m 2 at 15 V. The power efficiencies of 2.5 and 1.6 lm/W at a luminance of 1000 and 10000 cd/m 2 , respectively, were obtained. The peaks of electroluminescent (EL) spectra locate at 429 and 560 nm corresponding to the Commissions Internationale De L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.32, 0.33), which is independent of bias voltage. The performance enhancement of the device may result from direct charge carrier trapping in rubrene. Energy transfer mechanism was also found in the EL process

High-performance undoped white organic light-emitting diode (OLED) has been fabricated using an ultrathin yellow-emitting layer of 5,6,11,12-tetraphenylnaphthacene (rubrene) inserted at two sides of interface between two N,N'-bis-(1-naphthyl)-N,N'- biphenyl-1,1'-biphenyl-4,4'- diamine (NPB) layers as a hole transporting and blue emissive layer, respectively. The results showed that a maximum luminance of the device reached to as high as 21,500 cd/m{sup 2} at 15 V. The power efficiencies of 2.5 and 1.6 lm/W at a luminance of 1000 and 10000 cd/m{sup 2}, respectively, were obtained. The peaks of electroluminescent (EL) spectra locate at 429 and 560 nm corresponding to the Commissions Internationale De L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.32, 0.33), which is independent of bias voltage. The performance enhancement of the device may result from direct charge carrier trapping in rubrene. Energy transfer mechanism was also found in the EL process.

In this paper, a novel type of white-light organic light emitting diode (OLED) with high color stability was reported, in which the yellow-light emission layer of (4,4'-N,N'-dicarbazole)biphenyl (CBP) : tris(2-phenylquinoline-C2,N')iridium(III) (Ir(2-phq)3) was sandwiched by double blue-light emission layers of 1,1-bis-[(di-4-tolylamino)pheny1]cyclohexane (TAPC) : bis[4,6-(di-fluorophenyl)-pyridinato-N,C2']picolinate (FIrpic) and tris[3-(3-pyridyl)mesityl]borane (3TPYMB):FIrpic. And, it exhibited the maximum current efficiency of 33.1 cd/A, the turn-on voltage at about 3 V and the maximum luminance in excess of 20000 cd/m2. More important, it realized very stable white-light emission, and its CIE(x, y) coordinates only shift from (0.34, 0.37) to (0.33, 0.37) as applied voltage increased from 5 V to 12 V. It is believed that the new scheme in emission layer of white-light OLED can fine tune the contribution of primary emission with applied voltage changed, resulting in high quality white-light OLED.

In this work was carried out the dyes removal blue vegetable and blue watercolor of aqueous solutions, to 20 C, at different times and using a zeolite mineral of Parral (Chihuahua, Mexico) modified with hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide or dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide. The zeolite was characterized before and after of its adaptation with NaCl and later with HDTMABr and DTMABr. For the materials characterization were used the scanning electron microscopy of high vacuum; elementary microanalysis by X-ray spectroscopy of dispersed energy and X-ray diffraction techniques. It was found that the surfactant type absorbed in the zeolite material influences on the adsorption process of the blue dye. Likewise, the chemical structure between the vegetable blue dye and the blue watercolor, determines the efficiency of the color removal of the water, by the zeolites modified with the surfactants. (Author)

Enhancing the light-harvesting activity is an effective way to improve the power conversion efficiency of solar cells. Although rapid enhancement in the PCE up to a value of 22.1% has been achieved for perovskite solar cells, only part of the sunlight, i.e., with wavelengths below 800-850 nm is utilized due to the limited bandgap of the perovskite materials, resulting in most of the near infrared light being wasted. To broaden the photoresponse of perovskite solar cells, we demonstrate an efficient perovskite/organic integrated solar cell containing both CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 perovskite and PBDTTT-E-T:IEICO organic photoactive layers. By integrating a low band gap PBDTTT-E-T:IEICO active layer on a perovskite layer, the maximum wavelength for light harvesting of the ISC increased to 930 nm, sharply increasing the utilization of near infrared radiation. In addition, the external quantum efficiency of the integrated device exceeded 50% in the near infrared range. The MAPbI 3 /PBDTTT-E-T:IEICO ISCs show an enhanced short-circuit current density of over 24 mA cm -2 , which is the highest existing value among perovskite/organic integrated solar cells and much higher than the traditional MAPbI 3 based perovskite solar cells. The results reveal that a perovskite/organic integrated structure is a promising strategy to extend and enhance sunlight utilization for perovskite solar cells.

The performance of organic photovoltaic (OPV) material systems are hypothesized to depend strongly on the intermolecular arrangements at the donor:fullerene interfaces. A review of some of the most efficient polymers utilized in polymer:fullerene PV devices, combined with an analysis of reported polymer donor materials wherein the same conjugated backbone was used with varying alkyl substituents, supports this hypothesis. Specifically, the literature shows that higher-performing donor-acceptor type polymers generally have acceptor moieties that are sterically accessible for interactions with the fullerene derivative, whereas the corresponding donor moieties tend to have branched alkyl substituents that sterically hinder interactions with the fullerene. To further explore the idea that the most beneficial polymer:fullerene arrangement involves the fullerene docking with the acceptor moiety, a family of benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b]dithiophene-thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione polymers (PBDTTPD derivatives) was synthesized and tested in a variety of PV device types with vastly different aggregation states of the polymer. In agreement with our hypothesis, the PBDTTPD derivative with a more sterically accessible acceptor moiety and a more sterically hindered donor moiety shows the highest performance in bulk-heterojunction, bilayer, and low-polymer concentration PV devices where fullerene derivatives serve as the electron-accepting materials. Furthermore, external quantum efficiency measurements of the charge-transfer state and solid-state two-dimensional (2D) 13C{1H} heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) NMR analyses support that a specific polymer:fullerene arrangement is present for the highest performing PBDTTPD derivative, in which the fullerene is in closer proximity to the acceptor moiety of the polymer. This work demonstrates that the polymer:fullerene arrangement and resulting intermolecular interactions may be key factors in determining the performance of OPV material systems

The performance of organic photovoltaic (OPV) material systems are hypothesized to depend strongly on the intermolecular arrangements at the donor:fullerene interfaces. A review of some of the most efficient polymers utilized in polymer:fullerene PV devices, combined with an analysis of reported polymer donor materials wherein the same conjugated backbone was used with varying alkyl substituents, supports this hypothesis. Specifically, the literature shows that higher-performing donor-acceptor type polymers generally have acceptor moieties that are sterically accessible for interactions with the fullerene derivative, whereas the corresponding donor moieties tend to have branched alkyl substituents that sterically hinder interactions with the fullerene. To further explore the idea that the most beneficial polymer:fullerene arrangement involves the fullerene docking with the acceptor moiety, a family of benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b]dithiophene-thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione polymers (PBDTTPD derivatives) was synthesized and tested in a variety of PV device types with vastly different aggregation states of the polymer. In agreement with our hypothesis, the PBDTTPD derivative with a more sterically accessible acceptor moiety and a more sterically hindered donor moiety shows the highest performance in bulk-heterojunction, bilayer, and low-polymer concentration PV devices where fullerene derivatives serve as the electron-accepting materials. Furthermore, external quantum efficiency measurements of the charge-transfer state and solid-state two-dimensional (2D) 13C{1H} heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) NMR analyses support that a specific polymer:fullerene arrangement is present for the highest performing PBDTTPD derivative, in which the fullerene is in closer proximity to the acceptor moiety of the polymer. This work demonstrates that the polymer:fullerene arrangement and resulting intermolecular interactions may be key factors in determining the performance of OPV material systems

Full Text Available Romanian education, which is an important pillar for human resource forming process and the basis for economic development, suffered a lot of changes in the last decades. The main factors that have influenced the undergraduate and university training programs are the political and social-cultural ones. Educational services organizations are facing various challenges as: creating and maintaining a good institutional image, managing all types of resources efficiently, motivating the academic personnel, satisfying the community needs and supporting the public policy. The marketing tools and activities help these entities to improve the educational programs and adapt them to the individual needs of the clients, to keep under control the production costs, which are limited by the small public budget and to perform and promote these services efficiently, leading to an increased organizational performance. The paper begins by presenting the current situation of higher education in Romania, underlining the fierce competition among the universities, the increased market potential and the financing sources. It continues by mentioning the advantages of strategic marketing planning for universities, as superior results and effectiveness, improved decision making and multiple benefits for the people involved. The paper reveals also the characteristics of segmenting and positioning on higher education market and the specific of marketing mix. Thereby, educational product is more easily adapted to customer needs when it is designed in collaboration with existing and future students, their parents, with other universities in the field or even with graduates. Students themselves can contribute to the increase the quality of their education. Price may be a factor of choice when future student chooses to pursue a university course, especially in those situations where the price does not include only the payment of annual fees for education. Distribution takes into

The efficiencies of red organic light-emitting diode (OLED) using tris-(8-hydroxy-quinoline)aluminum (Alq{sub 3}) as host and 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-t-butyl-6-(1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl) -4H-pyra n (DCJTB) as dopant were greatly increased by adding a small amount (0.3 wt%) of Ir compound, iridium(III) bis(3-(2-benzothiazolyl)-7-(diethylamino)-2H-1-benzopyran-2-onato-N',C{sup 4}) (acetyl acetonate) (Ir(C6){sub 2}(acac)), as a sensitizer. The device has a sandwiched structure of indium tin oxide (ITO)/4,4',4''-tris(N-(2-naphthyl)-N-phenyl-amino)triphenylamine (T-NATA) (40 nm)/N,N'-bis(1-naphthyl)-N,N'-diphenyl-1,1'-biphenyl-4,4' diamine (NPB) (40 nm)/Alq{sub 3}:DCJTB (0.7 wt%):Ir(C6){sub 2}(acac) (0.3 wt%) (40 nm)/Alq{sub 3} (40 nm)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (120 nm). It can be seen that the current efficiencies of this device remained almost (13.8{+-}1) cd/A from 0.1 to 20,000 cd/m{sup 2} and the Commission International d'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates at (0.60, 0.37) in the range of wide brightness. The significant improvement was attributed to the sensitization effect of the doped Ir(C6){sub 2}(acac), thus the energy of singlet and triplet excitons is simultaneously transferred to the DCJTB.

Recent experimental work has elevated the importance of microbial processing for the stabilization of fresh carbon inputs within the soil mineral matrix. Enhancing our understanding of soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics therefore requires a better understanding of how efficiently microbial metabolism can process low molecular weight carbon substrates (carbon use efficiency, CUE) under environmentally relevant conditions. One approach to better understanding microbial uptake rates and CUE is the ecophysiological study of soil isolates in liquid media culture consisting of soil-extracted solubilized organic matter (SESOM). We are using SESOM from an Oa horizon under hemlock hardwood vegetation in upstate New York as liquid media for the growth of 12 isolates from the Oa and B horizon of the same site. Here we seek to test the uptake rates as well as CUE of 5 different low molecular weight substrates spanning compound class and nominal oxidation state (glucose, acetate, formate, glycine, valine) by isolates differing in phylogeny and physiology. The use of a spike of each of the 13C-labeled substrates into SESOM, along with a 0.2 μm filtration step, allows accurate partitioning of labeled carbon between biomass, gaseous CO2 as well as the exometabolome. Coupled UHPLC-MS measurements are being used to identify and determine uptake rates of over 80 potential C substrates present in the extract as well as our labeled substrate of interest along the course of the isolate growth curve. This work seeks to utilize a gradient in substrate class as well as microbial physiologies to inform our understanding of C and N cycling under relevant soil solution conditions. Future experiments may also use labeled biomass from stationary phase to investigate the stabilization potential of anabolic products formed from each substrate with a clay fraction isolated from the same site.

The development of gas and oil in unconventional plays in United State and Northern Europe has affected the finances and the energy security. Geochanical properties of shale rocks can have a major impact on the efficiency of shale gas exploration. The goal of this study is to evaluate shale gas potentiality in the Blue Nile Basin, using samples from existing drilled wells. All the samples were analyzed in detail with the following organic geochemical techniques: total organic carbon (TOC), Rock-eval pyrolysis, to determine the quality and quantity of the organic matter. The total organic carbon (TOC) values for the shale intervals vary from 0.6 to 4.5weight% in FARASHA-1 Well, while in TAWAKUL-1 Well range from 0.4 to 2.4weight%, suggesting that fair to good source generative potential, as revealed by the S2 v's TOC plot. Hydrogen index (HI) values range from 12 to 182 mg HC/g TOC in the two wells, indicating type III and IV derived-input in the samples and their potential to generate gas. However, the Blue Nile and Dinder Formation have Tmax values in the range of 437 to 456°C, indicating early maturity in the oil window. Thus, higher maturity levels have affected the hydrocarbon generation potential and HI of the samples.

Despite a long-term decline in the circus industry, Cirque du Soleil profitably increased revenue 22-fold over the last ten years by reinventing the circus. Rather than competing within the confines of the existing industry or trying to steal customers from rivals, Cirque developed uncontested market space that made the competition irrelevant. Cirque created what the authors call a blue ocean, a previously unknown market space. In blue oceans, demand is created rather than fought over. There is ample opportunity for growth that is both profitable and rapid. In red oceans--that is, in all the industries already existing--companies compete by grabbing for a greater share of limited demand. As the market space gets more crowded, prospects for profits and growth decline. Products turn into commodities, and increasing competition turns the water bloody. There are two ways to create blue oceans. One is to launch completely new industries, as eBay did with online auctions. But it's much more common for a blue ocean to be created from within a red ocean when a company expands the boundaries of an existing industry. In studying more than 150 blue ocean creations in over 30 industries, the authors observed that the traditional units of strategic analysis--company and industry--are of limited use in explaining how and why blue oceans are created. The most appropriate unit of analysis is the strategic move, the set of managerial actions and decisions involved in making a major market-creating business offering. Creating blue oceans builds brands. So powerful is blue ocean strategy, in fact, that a blue ocean strategic move can create brand equity that lasts for decades.

Salmonella can enter animal stocks via feedstuffs, thus posing not only an infection risk for animals, but also threatening to contaminate food of animal origin and finally humans. Salmonella contamination in feedstuffs is still a recurring and serious issue in animal production (especially for the poultry sector), and is regularly detected upon self-monitoring by feed companies (self-checks) and official inspections authorities. Operators within the feed chain in certain cases need to use hygienic condition enhancers, such as organic acids, to improve the quality of feed for animal nutrition, providing additional guarantees for the protection of animal and public health. The present study investigated the efficiencies of five organic acid preparations. The acid products were added to three different feed materials contaminated with Salmonella (contamination occurred by recontamination in the course of the production process) at seven different inclusion rates (1-7%) and analysed after 1, 2, and 7 days' exposure time using culture method (tenfold analysis). A reliable standard was established for defining a successful decontamination under the prevailing test conditions: 10 Salmonella-negative results out of 10 tested samples (0/10: i.e. 0 positive samples and 10 negative samples). The results demonstrated that the tested preparations showed significant differences with regard to the reduction in Salmonella contamination. At an inclusion rate of 7% of the feed materials, two out of five acid preparations showed an insufficient, very small, decontamination effect, whereas two others had a relatively large partial effect. Reliable decontamination was demonstrated only for one acid preparation, however, subject to the use of the highest acid concentration.

We herein report a homogeneous [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) layer, produced by a solution process of horizontal-dipping (H-dipping) to improve the photovoltaic (PV) effects of bilayer heterojunction organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) based on a bi-stacked poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) electron donor layer and a PCBM electron acceptor layer (P3HT/PCBM). It was shown that a homogeneous and uniform coating of PCBM layers in the P3HT/PCBM bilayer OPVs resulted in reliable and reproducible device performance. We recorded a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.89%, which is higher than that (2.00%) of bilayer OPVs with a spin-coated PCBM layer. Moreover, introducing surfactant additives of poly(oxyethylene tridecyl ether) (PTE) into the homogeneous P3HT/PCBM PV layers resulted in the bilayer OPVs showing a PCE value of 3.95%, which is comparable to those of conventional bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) OPVs (3.57-4.13%) fabricated by conventional spin-coating. This improved device performance may be attributed to the selective collection of charge carriers at the interfaces among the active layers and electrodes due to the PTE additives as well as the homogeneous formation of the functional PCBM layer on the P3HT layer. Furthermore, H-dip-coated PCBM layers were deposited onto aligned P3HT layers by a rubbing technique, and the rubbed bilayer OPV exhibited improved in-plane anisotropic PV effects with PCE anisotropy as high as 1.81, which is also higher than that (1.54) of conventional rubbed BHJ OPVs. Our results suggest that the use of the H-dip-coating process in the fabrication of PCBM layers with the PTE interface-engineering additive could be of considerable interest to those seeking to improve PCBM-based opto-electrical organic thin-film devices.

Highlights: ► We present an ORC model composed of a scroll 1D model and a cycle thermodynamic one. ► High-series production components from HVAC field are considered to reduce costs. ► Couplings of the micro-CHP with low-temperature heat sources are analyzed. ► Small and low-cost CHP systems with acceptable electrical efficiency are realizable. ► Higher electrical efficiency are possible modifying the scroll geometry. -- Abstract: Small scale Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems has been the object of a large number of studies in the last decade, because of their suitability for energy recovery and cogenerative applications. The paper presents an ORC numerical model and its applications to two different case studies; the code has been obtained by combining a one-dimensional model of a scroll machine and a thermodynamic model of a whole ORC system. Series production components, such as scroll compressors, from HVAC field, have been first considered in order to reduce costs, because this is a critical issue for small scale energy recovery and cogeneration systems. The detailed model of the scroll machine is capable to calculate the performances of both a compressor and an expander, as function of the geometry of the device and of the working fluid. The model has been first tested and validated by comparing its outputs with experimental tests on a commercial scroll compressor, then used to calculate the working curves of commercial scroll machines originally designed as compressors in the HVAC field, but operating as expanders. The model of the expander has been then integrated in the thermodynamic model of the ORC system. A series of comparisons have been carried out in order to evaluate how the performances are influenced by cycle parameters, scroll geometry and working fluid for different applications. The results confirm the feasibility of small scale CHP systems with acceptable electrical efficiency, taking into account the low-temperature thermal source

Two highly efficient red neutral iridium(III) complexes, Ir1 and Ir2, were rationally designed and synthesized by selecting two pyridylimidazole derivatives as the ancillary ligands. Both Ir1 and Ir2 show nearly the same photoluminescence emission with the maximum peak at 595 nm (shoulder band at about 638 nm) and achieve high solution quantum yields of up to 0.47 for Ir1 and 0.57 for Ir2. Employing Ir1 and Ir2 as emitters, the fabricated red organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) show outstanding performance with the maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE), current efficiency (CE), and power efficiency (PE) of 20.98%, 33.04 cd/A, and 33.08 lm/W for the Ir1-based device and 22.15%, 36.89 cd/A, and 35.85 lm/W for the Ir2-based device, respectively. Furthermore, using Ir2 as red emitter, a trichromatic hybrid white OLED, showing good warm white emission with low correlated color temperature of white device also realizes excellent device efficiencies with the maximum EQE, CE, and PE reaching 22.74%, 44.77 cd/A, and 46.89 lm/W, respectively. Such high electroluminescence performance for red and white OLEDs indicates that Ir1 and Ir2 as efficient red phosphors have great potential for future OLED displays and lightings applications.

We present a detailed histological description of the central nervous system (CNS: brain, subesophageal ganglion, thoracic ganglia, abdominal ganglia) of the blue crab, Portunus pelagicus. Because the presence of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in crustaceans has been disputed, we examine the presence and localization of a GnRH-like peptide in the CNS of the blue crab by using antibodies against lamprey GnRH (lGnRH)-III, octopus GnRH (octGnRH) and tunicate GnRH (tGnRH)-I. These antibodies showed no cross-reactivity with red-pigment-concentrating hormone, adipokinetic hormone, or corazonin. In the brain, strong lGnRH-III immunoreactivity (-ir) was detected in small (7-17 μm diameter) neurons of clusters 8, 9 and 10, in medium-sized (21-36 μm diameter) neurons of clusters 6, 7 and 11 and in the anterior and posterior median protocerebral neuropils, olfactory neuropil, median and lateral antenna I neuropils, tegumentary neuropil and antenna II neuropil. In the subesophageal ganglion, lGnRH-III-ir was detected in medium-sized neurons and in the subesophageal neuropil. In the thoracic and abdominal ganglia, lGnRH-III-ir was detected in medium-sized and small neurons and in the neuropils. OctGnRH-ir was observed in neurons of the same clusters with moderate staining, particularly in the deutocerebrum, whereas tGnRH-I-ir was only detected in medium-sized neurons of cluster 11 in the brain. Thus, anti-lGnRH-III shows greater immunoreactivity in the crab CNS than anti-octGnRH and anti-tGnRH-I. Moreover, our functional bioassay demonstrates that only lGnRH-III has significant stimulatory effects on ovarian growth and maturation. We therefore conclude that, although the true identity of the crab GnRH eludes us, crabs possess a putative GnRH hormone similar to lGnRH-III. The identification and characterization of this molecule is part of our ongoing research.

In the last decade, organic photovoltaics (OPVs) have been attracting much attention for their low cost, and feasibility of mass production in large-area modules. Reported power conversion efficiencies (PCE) of organic solar cells have reached more than 10%. These promising PCEs can be realized by uncovering important principles: (1) rational molecular design, (2) matching of the material energy level, (3) favorable morphology of donor-acceptor (D/A) network, (4) higher carrier mobilities, and (5) suppression of charge recombination within the bulk heterojunction (BHJ). Though these key properties are frequently stated, the relationships between these principles remain unclear, which motivates us to fill these gaps. In the beginning, we show that changing the sequence of donor and acceptor units of the benzodithiophene-core (BDT) SM donors critically impacts molecular packing and charge transport in BHJ solar cells. Moreover, we find out that by adding small amount of the external solvent additive, the domain size of the SMFQ1 become relatively smaller, resulting in the FF enhancement of ~70% and thus pushing PCE to >6.5%. To further improve the device performance, we utilize another technique of device optimization: Solvent Vapor Annealing (SVA). Compared with solvent additive, the SVA creates a solvent-saturated environment for SMs to re-arrange and crystalize, leading to PCE of >8%, with nearly-free bimolecular recombination. When the systems are shifted from fullerene acceptors to nonfullerene acceptors, using solvent additives in indacenodithiophene-core (IDT) systems significantly reduces the domain size from >500nm to <50nm and also allows the SM donors to orderly packed, rising the PCE from <1% to 4.5%. Furthermore in a similar IDT-based system, it shows unexpectedly high VOC and low energy loss, and high PCE > 6% can be reached by employing the dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) as the SVA solvent to re-organize the morphology from excessive mixing to ordered phase

The purity determination of organic calibration standards using the traditional mass balance approach is described. Demonstrated examples highlight the potential for bias in each measurement and the need to implement an approach that provides a cross-check for each result, affording fit for purpose purity values in a timely and cost-effective manner. Chromatographic techniques such as gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection (GC-FID) and high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (HPLC-UV), combined with mass and NMR spectroscopy, provide a detailed impurity profile allowing an efficient conversion of chromatographic peak areas into relative mass fractions, generally avoiding the need to calibrate each impurity present. For samples analysed by GC-FID, a conservative measurement uncertainty budget is described, including a component to cover potential variations in the response of each unidentified impurity. An alternative approach is also detailed in which extensive purification eliminates the detector response factor issue, facilitating the certification of a super-pure calibration standard which can be used to quantify the main component in less-pure candidate materials. This latter approach is particularly useful when applying HPLC analysis with UV detection. Key to the success of this approach is the application of both qualitative and quantitative (1)H NMR spectroscopy.

Charge carrier transport in bulk heterojunction that is central to the device performance of solar cells is sensitively dependent on the energy level alignment of acceptor and donor. However, the effect of energy level regulation induced by nickel ions on the primary photoexcited electron transfer and the performance of P3HT/TiO2 hybrid solar cells remains being poorly understood and rarely studied. Here we demonstrate that the introduction of the versatile nickel ions into TiO2 nanocrystals can significantly elevate the conduction and valence band energy levels of the acceptor, thus resulting in a remarkable reduction of energy level offset between the conduction band of acceptor and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of donor. By applying transient photoluminescence and femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopies, we demonstrate that the electron transfer becomes more competitive after incorporating nickel ions. In particular, the electron transfer life time is shortened from 30.2 to 16.7 ps, i.e., more than 44% faster than pure TiO2 acceptor, thus leading to a notable increase of power conversion efficiency in organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells. This work underscores the promising virtue of engineering the reduction of 'excess' energy offset to accelerate electron transport and demonstrates the potential of nickel ions in applications of solar energy conversion and photon detectors.

Fossil fuel consumption has a deleterious effect on humans, the economy, and the environment. Renewable energy technologies must be identified and commercialized as quickly as possible so that the transition to renewables can happen at a minimum of financial and societal cost. Organic photovoltaic cells offer an inexpensive and disruptive energy technology, if the scientific challenges of understanding charge photogeneration in a bulk heterojunction material can be overcome. At RIT, there is a strong focus on creating new materials that can both offer fundamentally important scientific results relating to quantum photophysics, and simultaneously assist in the development of strong candidates for future commercialized technology. In this presentation, the results of intensive materials characterization of a series of squaraine small molecule donors will be presented, as well as a full study of the fabrication and optimization required to achieve >4% photovoltaic cell efficiency. A relationship between the molecular structure of the squaraine and its ability to form nanoscale aggregates will be explored. Squaraine aggregation will be described as a unique optoelectronic probe of the structure of the bulk heterojunction. This relationship will then be utilized to explain changes in crystallinity that impact the overall performance of the devices. Finally, a predictive summary will be given for the future of donor material research at RIT.

SBA-15 mesoporous silica is synthesized using triblock copolymer P123 surfactant and chemically modified by aminopropyl, thiol, ammonium and sulfonic acid functional groups. Functionalization is performed via post synthesize method using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) or 3-mercatopropyl trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) precursor. The as synthesized mesoporous systems are applied for immobilization of cyanocobalamine. Functionalization effectively improves sorption properties of the supports, while different functional groups exert different effects. The organic-inorganic mesoporous materials are characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption and desorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), FT-IR and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission (ICP). The newly synthesized systems exhibit high catalytic activity for heterogeneous epoxidation of cyclooctene in presence of hydrogen peroxide. Reaction conditions are optimized, effect of functional groups on performance of the catalysts is taken into consideration and reusability of the designed heterogeneous systems is studied. Systems with chemically modified supports are shown to be more efficient and stable catalysts however; chemical nature of functional groups plays a crucial role.

Grid computing aims to enable 'resource sharing and coordinated problem solving in dynamic, multi-institutional virtual organizations (VOs)'. However, due to the nature of heterogeneous and dynamic resources, dynamic failures in the distributed grid environment usually occur more than in traditional computation platforms, which cause failed VO formations. In this paper, we develop a novel self-adaptive mechanism to dynamic failures during VO formations. Such a self-adaptive scheme allows an individual and member of VOs to automatically find other available or replaceable one once a failure happens and therefore makes systems automatically recover from dynamic failures. We define dynamic failure situations of a system by using two standard indicators: mean time between failures (MTBF) and mean time to recover (MTTR). We model both MTBF and MTTR as Poisson distributions. We investigate and analyze the efficiency of the proposed self-adaptation mechanism to dynamic failures by comparing the success probability of VO formations before and after adopting it in three different cases: (1) different failure situations; (2) different organizational structures and scales; (3) different task complexities. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme can automatically adapt to dynamic failures and effectively improve the dynamic VO formation performance in the event of node failures, which provide a valuable addition to the field.

Financial reporting by non-profit organizations deals only with accountability for propriety and regularity, and ignores output measurement. The development of output measures of a physical or index nature offers a means of relating dollar costs to output in the form of cost-efficiency or cost-effectiveness measures, but does not provide any measure of the absolute value or worthwhileness of such programs. This fundamental absolute value question should be asked of all non-profit programs and documented to the greatest possible extent in budgetary submissions, and subsequent control and audit. In public sector non-profit programs, the posing of this question requires information on consumer demand other than in aggregative and imprecise form through the political process, and much improved information on the cost side. Eliciting demand information is feasible in the case of public programs with separable benefits by the use of a variety of pricing techniques, direct or imputed, whether or not the service in question is ultimately financed on a user-pay basis. The problem of eliciting demand is more difficult in the case of public goods, but improved demand information can be obtained, ideally by an approach such as the use of a Clarke tax. The argument can be extended to encompass questions of income distribution, stabilization, regulation and tax policy. Recent developments in program evaluation in the federal government are important, but remain deficient in failing to address the question of absolute value.

Silver nanowires (AgNWs) and graphene are both promising candidates as a transparent conductive electrode (TCE) to replace expensive and fragile indium tin oxide (ITO) TCE. A synergistically optimized performance is expected when the advantages of AgNWs and graphene are combined. In this paper, the AgNW-graphene hybrid electrode is constructed by depositing a graphene layer on top of the network of AgNWs. Compared with the pristine AgNWs electrode, the AgNW-graphene TCE exhibits reduced sheet resistance, lower surface roughness, excellent long-term stability, and corrosion resistance in corrosive liquids. The graphene layer covering the AgNWs provides additional conduction pathways for electron transport and collection by the electrode. Benefiting from these advantages of the hybrid electrodes, we achieve a power conversion efficiency of 8.12% of inverted organic solar cells using PTB7:PC71BM as the active layer, which is compared to that of the solar cells based on standard ITO TCE but about 10% higher than that based on AgNWs TCE.

Charge transport in the mesoscale bulk heterojunctions (BHJs) of organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) is studied using multiscale simulations in combination with molecular dynamics, the density functional theory, the molecular-level kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) method, and the coarse-grained kMC method, which was developed to estimate mesoscale carrier mobility. The effects of the degree of crystallinity and the anisotropy of the conductivity of donors on hole mobility are studied for BHJ structures that consist of crystalline and amorphous pentacene grains that act as donors and amorphous C60 grains that act as acceptors. We find that the hole mobility varies dramatically with the degree of crystallinity of pentacene because it is largely restricted by a low-mobility amorphous region that occurs in the hole transport network. It was also found that the percolation threshold of crystalline pentacene is relatively high at approximately 0.6. This high percolation threshold is attributed to the 2D-like conductivity of crystalline pentacene, and the threshold is greatly improved to a value of approximately 0.3 using 3D-like conductive donors. We propose essential guidelines to show that it is critical to increase the degree of crystallinity and develop 3D conductive donors for efficient hole transport through percolative networks in the BHJs of OPVs.

To realize power efficient solution-processed phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (s-PhOLEDs), the corresponding high driving voltage issue should be well solved. To solve it, efforts have been devoted to the exploitation of novel host or interfacial materials. However, the issues of charge trapping of phosphor and/or charge injection barrier are still serious, largely restraining the power efficiency (PE) levels. Herein, with the utilization of an exciplex-forming couple 4, 4?, 4? -...

An NCI Cancer Currents blog by the NCI acting director thanking the cancer community for contributing to the Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel report, which was presented to the National Cancer Advisory Board on September 7.

Currently, E-Learning has grown into a widely accepted way of learning. With the huge growth of users, services, education contents and resources, E-Learning systems are facing challenges of optimizing resource allocations, dealing with dynamic concurrency demands, handling rapid storage growth requirements and cost controlling. In this paper, an E-Learning framework based on cloud computing is presented, namely BlueSky cloud framework. Particularly, the architecture and core components of BlueSky cloud framework are introduced. In BlueSky cloud framework, physical machines are virtualized, and allocated on demand for E-Learning systems. Moreover, BlueSky cloud framework combines with traditional middleware functions (such as load balancing and data caching) to serve for E-Learning systems as a general architecture. It delivers reliable, scalable and cost-efficient services to E-Learning systems, and E-Learning organizations can establish systems through these services in a simple way. BlueSky cloud framework solves the challenges faced by E-Learning, and improves the performance, availability and scalability of E-Learning systems.

Marine (blue) biomasses, such as macroalgaes, represent a huge unexploited amount of biomass. With their various chemical compositions, macroalgaes can be a potential substrate for food, feed, biomaterials, pharmaceuticals, health care products and also for bioenergy. Algae use seawater as a growth...... medium, light as energy source and they capture CO2 for the synthesis of new organic material, thus can grow on non-agricultural land, without increasing food prices, or using fresh water. Due to all these advantages in addition to very high biomass yield with high carbohydrate content, macroalgaes can...

New deep blue phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes comprised of one cyclometalate, two phosphines trans to each other and two cis-ancillary ligands, such as Ir(F{sub 2}Meppy)(PPh{sub 2}Me){sub 2}(H)(Cl), Ir(F{sub 2}Meppy)(PPh{sub 2}Me){sub 2}(H)(NCMe){sup +}, and Ir(F{sub 2}Meppy)(PPh{sub 2}Me){sub 2}(H)(CN), [F{sub 2}Meppy = 2-(2', 4'- difluorophenyl)-4-methyl-pyridine] were synthesized and studied to tune the phosphorescence wavelength to the deep blue region and to enhance the luminescence efficiencies. We investigated the strong field effects of ancillary ligands to gain insight into the factors responsible for the emission color change and the different luminescence efficiency. Reducing the molecular weight of the phosphine ligand with PPh{sub 2}Me leads to more efficient deep-blueorganic light-emitting devices (OLED) by thermal processing instead of through solution processing. The electron-withdrawing difluoro group substituted on the phenyl ring, the electron-donating methyl group on the pyridyl ring, and the cyano strong field ancillary ligand increased the HOMO-LUMO gap and achieved a hypsochromic shift in the emission color. As a result, the maximum emission spectra of Ir(F{sub 2}Meppy)-(PPh{sub 2}Me){sub 2}(H)(Cl), Ir(F{sub 2}Meppy)(PPh{sub 2}Me){sub 2}(H)(NCMe){sup +}, and Ir(F{sub 2}Meppy)(PPh{sub 2}Me){sub 2-}(H)(CN) were in the ranges of 440.5, 437, 436 nm, respectively.

New deep blue phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes comprised of one cyclometalate, two phosphines trans to each other and two cis-ancillary ligands, such as Ir(F 2 Meppy)(PPh 2 Me) 2 (H)(Cl), Ir(F 2 Meppy)(PPh 2 Me) 2 (H)(NCMe) + , and Ir(F 2 Meppy)(PPh 2 Me) 2 (H)(CN), [F 2 Meppy = 2-(2', 4'- difluorophenyl)-4-methyl-pyridine] were synthesized and studied to tune the phosphorescence wavelength to the deep blue region and to enhance the luminescence efficiencies. We investigated the strong field effects of ancillary ligands to gain insight into the factors responsible for the emission color change and the different luminescence efficiency. Reducing the molecular weight of the phosphine ligand with PPh 2 Me leads to more efficient deep-blueorganic light-emitting devices (OLED) by thermal processing instead of through solution processing. The electron-withdrawing difluoro group substituted on the phenyl ring, the electron-donating methyl group on the pyridyl ring, and the cyano strong field ancillary ligand increased the HOMO-LUMO gap and achieved a hypsochromic shift in the emission color. As a result, the maximum emission spectra of Ir(F 2 Meppy)-(PPh 2 Me) 2 (H)(Cl), Ir(F 2 Meppy)(PPh 2 Me) 2 (H)(NCMe) + , and Ir(F 2 Meppy)(PPh 2 Me) 2- (H)(CN) were in the ranges of 440.5, 437, 436 nm, respectively.

Terrestrial organic carbon exported from small mountainous river to the continental margin may play an important role in global carbon cycle and it?|s biogeochemical process. A huge amount of suspended materials from small rivers in southwestern Taiwan (104 million tons per year) could serve as major carbon source to the adjacent ocean. However, little is know concerning fate of this terrigenous organic carbon. The purpose of this study is to calculate flux of terrigenous organic carbon deposited in the continental margin, offshore southwestern Taiwan through investigating spatial variation of organic carbon content, organic carbon isotopic compositions, organic carbon deposition rate and burial efficiency. Results show that organic carbon compositions in sediment are strongly influenced by terrestrial material exported from small rivers in the region, Kaoping River, Tseng-wen River and Er-jan Rver. In addition, a major part of the terrestrial materials exported from the Kaoping River may bypass shelf region and transport directly into the deep sea (South China Sea) through the Kaoping Canyon. Organic carbon isotopic compositions with lighter carbon isotopic values are found near the Kaoping River and Tseng-wen River mouth and rapidly change from heavier to lighter values through shelf to slope. Patches of lighter organic carbon isotopic compositions with high organic carbon content are also found in areas west of Kaoping River mouth, near the Kaoshiung city. Furthermore, terrigenous organic carbons with lighter isotopic values are found in the Kaoping canyon. A total of 0.028 Mt/yr of terrestrial organic carbon was found in the study area, which represented only about 10 percent of all terrestrial organic carbon deposited in the study area. Majority (~90 percent) of the organic carbon exported from the Kaoping River maybe directly transported into the deep sea (South China Sea) and become a major source of organic carbon in the deep sea.

Heavily doped and highly efficient phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices (PhOLEDs) had been fabricated by utilizing an orange iridium complex, bis[2-(3′,5′-di-tert-butylbiphenyl-4-yl)benzothiazolato-N,C{sup 2'}]iridium(III) (acetylacetonate) [(tbpbt){sub 2}Ir(acac)], as a phosphor. When the doping concentration of [(tbpbt){sub 2}Ir(acac)] reached as high as 15 wt%, the PhOLEDs exhibited a power efficiency, current efficiency, and external quantum efficiency of 24.5 lm/W, 32.1 cd/A, 15.7%, respectively, implying a promising quenching-resistant characteristics of this novel phosphor. Furthermore, the efficient white PhOLEDs had been obtained by employing (tbpbt){sub 2}Ir(acac) as a self-host orange emitter, indicating that (tbpbt){sub 2}Ir(acac) could serve as a promising phosphor to fabricate white organic light-emitting devices with simplified manufacturing process. - Highlights: • Efficient phosphorescent devices were fabricated. • Optimized phosphor doping ratio reached as high as 15 wt%. • The results proved a promising quench-resistant property of the phosphor. • Efficient white devices based on this phosphor as self-host layer had been realized.

The synthesis of mesoporous aggregates of titanium oxide nanoparticles (F0) is described using a very cheap and simple synthetic protocol. This consists of the reaction of titanium tetraisopropoxide and a solution of HNO 3 in water (pH 2.0) and subsequent filtration. In addition, fluorine-doped titanium oxides (F1, F2, F5 and F10) were synthesized using the same method, adding increasing amounts of NaF to the reaction mixture (avoiding the use of expensive reagents such as NH 4 F or trifluoroacetic acid). The resulting materials were calcined at different temperatures (500, 600 and 650 °C) giving particles sized between 10 and 20 nm. Furthermore, a hybrid F-doped TiO 2 with supported palladium nanoparticles of ca. 20 nm (F5-500-Pd1) was synthesized by grafting an organometallic palladium(II) salt namely [Pd(cod)Cl 2 ] (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene). Photocatalytic studies of the degradation of methylene blue (MB) were carried out under UV light using all the synthesized material (non-doped an F-doped TiO 2 ), observing that the increase in the quantity of fluorine has a positive effect on the photocatalytic activity. F5-500 is apparently the material which has the most convenient structural properties (in terms of surface area and anatase/rutile ratio) and thus a higher photocatalytic activity. The hybrid material F-doped TiO 2 –Pd nanoparticles (F5-500-Pd1) has a lower band gap value than F5-500, and thus photocatalytic degradation of MB under LED visible light was achieved using F5-500-Pd1 as photocatalyst

The synthesis of mesoporous aggregates of titanium oxide nanoparticles (F0) is described using a very cheap and simple synthetic protocol. This consists of the reaction of titanium tetraisopropoxide and a solution of HNO{sub 3} in water (pH 2.0) and subsequent filtration. In addition, fluorine-doped titanium oxides (F1, F2, F5 and F10) were synthesized using the same method, adding increasing amounts of NaF to the reaction mixture (avoiding the use of expensive reagents such as NH{sub 4}F or trifluoroacetic acid). The resulting materials were calcined at different temperatures (500, 600 and 650 °C) giving particles sized between 10 and 20 nm. Furthermore, a hybrid F-doped TiO{sub 2} with supported palladium nanoparticles of ca. 20 nm (F5-500-Pd1) was synthesized by grafting an organometallic palladium(II) salt namely [Pd(cod)Cl{sub 2}] (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene). Photocatalytic studies of the degradation of methylene blue (MB) were carried out under UV light using all the synthesized material (non-doped an F-doped TiO{sub 2}), observing that the increase in the quantity of fluorine has a positive effect on the photocatalytic activity. F5-500 is apparently the material which has the most convenient structural properties (in terms of surface area and anatase/rutile ratio) and thus a higher photocatalytic activity. The hybrid material F-doped TiO{sub 2}–Pd nanoparticles (F5-500-Pd1) has a lower band gap value than F5-500, and thus photocatalytic degradation of MB under LED visible light was achieved using F5-500-Pd1 as photocatalyst.

The effective recycling of nutrients in treated sewage sludge (biosolids) domestic (e.g. source separated food waste), agricultural, and commercial and industrial (C&I) biowastes (e.g. food industry wastes, papermill sludge) for use on land, generally following treatment (e.g. composting, anaerobic digestion or thermal conversion technologies) as alternatives to conventional mineral fertilisers in Australia can have economic benefits, ensure food security, and close the nutrient loop. In excess of 75% of Australian agricultural soils have less than 1% organic matter (OM), and, with 40 million tonnes of solid waste per year potentially available as a source of OM, biowastes also build soil carbon (C) stocks that improve soil structure, fertility and productivity, and enhance soil ecosystem services. In recent years, the increasing cost of conventional mineral fertilisers, combined with changing weather patterns have placed additional pressure on regional and rural communities. Nitrogen (N) is generally the most limiting nutrient to crop production, and the high-energy required and GHGs associated with its manufacture mean that, additionally, it is critical to use N efficiently and recycle N resources where possible. Biosolids and biowastes have highly variable organic matter (OM) and nutrient contents, with N often present in a variety of forms only some of which are plant-available. The N value is further influenced by treatment process, storage and fundamental soil processes. The correct management of N in biowastes is essential to reduce environmental losses through leaching or runoff and negative impacts on drinking water sources and aquatic ecosystems. Gaseous N emissions also impact upon atmospheric quality and climate change. Despite the body of work to investigate N supply from biosolids, recent findings indicate that historic and current management of agricultural applications of N from biosolids and biowastes in Australia may still be inefficient leading

The operating voltage of the tandem green phosphorescent organic light-emitting device with a 1,4,5,8,9,11-hexaazatriphenylene-hexacarbonitrile layer was improved by 3% over that of the organic light-emitting device with a molybdenum trioxide layer. The maximum brightness of the tandem green phosphorescent organic light-emitting device at 21.9 V was 26,540 cd/m{sup 2}. The dominant peak of the electroluminescence spectra for the devices was related to the fac-tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium emission. - Highlights: • Tandem OLEDs with CGL were fabricated to enhance their efficiency. • The operating voltage of the tandem OLED with a HAT-CN layer was improved by 3%. • The efficiency and brightness of the tandem OLED were 13.9 cd/A and 26,540 cd/m{sup 2}. • Efficiency of the OLED with a HAT-CN layer was lower than that with a MoO{sub 3} layer. - Abstract: Tandem green phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices with a 1,4,5,8,9,11-hexaazatriphenylene-hexacarbonitrile or a molybdenum trioxide charge generation layer were fabricated to enhance their efficiency. Current density–voltage curves showed that the operating voltage of the tandem green phosphorescent organic light-emitting device with a 1,4,5,8,9,11-hexaazatriphenylene-hexacarbonitrile layer was improved by 3% over that of the corresponding organic light-emitting device with a molybdenum trioxide layer. The efficiency and the brightness of the tandem green phosphorescent organic light-emitting device were 13.9 cd/A and 26,540 cd/m{sup 2}, respectively. The current efficiency of the tandem green phosphorescent organic light-emitting device with a 1,4,5,8,9,11-hexaazatriphenylene-hexacarbonitrile layer was lower by 1.1 times compared to that of the corresponding organic light-emitting device with molybdenum trioxide layer due to the decreased charge generation and transport in the 1,4,5,8,9,11-hexaazatriphenylene-hexacarbonitrile layer resulting from triplet–triplet exciton annihilation.

We propose the biomimetic moth-eye nanoarchitectures as a novel plasmonic light-harvesting structure for further enhancing the solar-generated photocurrents in organic photovoltaics (OPVs). The full moth-eye nanoarchitectures are composed of two-dimensional hexagonal periodic grating arrays on surfaces of both the front zinc oxide (ZnO) and rear active layers, which are prepared by a simple and cost-effective soft imprint nanopatterning technique. For the 380 nm period ZnO and 650 nm period active gratings (i.e., ZnO(P380)/Active(P650)), the poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl):indene-C60 bis-adduct (P3HT:ICBA)-based plasmonic OPVs exhibit an improvement of the absorption spectrum compared to the pristine OPVs over a broad wavelength range of 350-750 nm, showing absorption enhancement peaks at wavelengths of ∼370, 450, and 670 nm, respectively. This leads to a considerable increase of short-circuit current density (Jsc) from 10.9 to 13.32 mA/cm(2), showing a large Jsc enhancement percentage of ∼22.2%. As a result, the strongly improved power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.28% is obtained compared to that (i.e., PCE = 5.12%) of the pristine OPVs. For the angle-dependent light-absorption characteristics, the plasmonic OPVs with ZnO(P380)/Active(P650) have a better absorption performance than that of the pristine OPVs at incident angles of 20-70°. For optical absorption characteristics and near-field intensity distributions of plasmonic OPVs, theoretical analyses are also performed by a rigorous coupled-wave analysis method, which gives a similar tendency with the experimentally measured data.

Addition of organic amendments to coal-containing systems can increase the rate and extent of biogenic methane production for 60–80 days before production slows or stops. Understanding the effect of repeated amendment additions on the rate and extent of enhanced coal-dependent methane production is important if biological coal-to-methane conversion is to be enhanced on a commercial scale. Microalgal biomass was added at a concentration of 0.1 g/L to microcosms with and without coal on days 0, 76, and 117. Rates of methane production were enhanced after the initial amendment but coal-containing treatments produced successively decreasing amounts of methane with each amendment. During the first amendment period, 113% of carbon added as amendment was recovered as methane, whereas in the second and third amendment periods, 39% and 32% of carbon added as amendment was recovered as methane, respectively. Additionally, algae-amended coal treatments produced ∼38% more methane than unamended coal treatments and ∼180% more methane than amended coal-free treatments after one amendment. However, a second amendment addition resulted in only an ∼25% increase in methane production for coal versus noncoal treatments and a third amendment addition resulted in similar methane production in both coal and noncoal treatments. Successive amendment additions appeared to result in a shift from coal-to-methane conversion to amendment-to-methane conversion. The reported results indicate that a better understanding is needed of the potential impacts and efficiencies of repeated stimulation for enhanced coal-to-methane conversion.

Hybrid organic-inorganic lead halide perovskite photovoltaic cells have already surpassed 20% conversion efficiency in the few years that they have been seriously studied. However, many fundamental questions still remain unanswered as to why they are so good. One of these is "Is the organic cation really necessary to obtain high quality cells?" In this study, we show that an all-inorganic version of the lead bromide perovskite material works equally well as the organic one, in particular generating the high open circuit voltages that are an important feature of these cells.

While the operating voltage of the tandem organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) with both an organic p-type 1,4,5,8,9,11-hexaazatriphenylene hexacarbonitrile charge generation layer and a bis(ethylenedithio)-tetrathiafulvalene (BEDT-TTF)-doped 1,3,5-tris(N-phenylbenzimiazole-2-yl)benzene (TPBi) electron transport layer (ETL) was 1.3 V lower than that of the tandem OLEDs with a BEDT-TTF-undoped TPBi ETL. Luminance efficiency of the tandem OLEDs with a BEDT-TTF-doped TPBi ETL was 3.6 cd/A higher than that of the typical OLEDs. The increase in the luminance efficiency and the decrease in the operating voltage of the tandem OLEDs were attributed to improved electron injection due to the insertion of the BEDT-TTF-doped TPBi ETL. - Highlights: • Tandem organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) were fabricated. • OLED fabricated with an n-type bis(ethylenedithio)-tetrathiafulvalene. • Operating voltage of the tandem OLED was decreased from 19.8 to 18.5 V. • Luminance efficiency of the tandem OLED was increased from 31.8 to 35.4 cd/A. • Enhancement of the luminance efficiency in the tandem OLED was achieved.

While the operating voltage of the tandem organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) with both an organic p-type 1,4,5,8,9,11-hexaazatriphenylene hexacarbonitrile charge generation layer and a bis(ethylenedithio)-tetrathiafulvalene (BEDT-TTF)-doped 1,3,5-tris(N-phenylbenzimiazole-2-yl)benzene (TPBi) electron transport layer (ETL) was 1.3 V lower than that of the tandem OLEDs with a BEDT-TTF-undoped TPBi ETL. Luminance efficiency of the tandem OLEDs with a BEDT-TTF-doped TPBi ETL was 3.6 cd/A higher than that of the typical OLEDs. The increase in the luminance efficiency and the decrease in the operating voltage of the tandem OLEDs were attributed to improved electron injection due to the insertion of the BEDT-TTF-doped TPBi ETL. - Highlights: • Tandem organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) were fabricated. • OLED fabricated with an n-type bis(ethylenedithio)-tetrathiafulvalene. • Operating voltage of the tandem OLED was decreased from 19.8 to 18.5 V. • Luminance efficiency of the tandem OLED was increased from 31.8 to 35.4 cd/A. • Enhancement of the luminance efficiency in the tandem OLED was achieved

Triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) and triplet-polaron quenching (TPQ) in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) lead to a roll-off of the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) with increasing current density J. We employ a kinetic Monte Carlo modeling study to analyze the measured IQE and color balance

We dissolved hole transport materials α-NPD and NPB in THF solvent, and spin-coated the α-NPD + THF or NPB + THF solution onto ITO anode surface to improve the luminance efficiency and lifetime of flexible fluorescent and phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes. Then the BCP and TPBi were employed as hole blocking layer (HBL) of phosphorescent device and its thickness was optimized. From the experimental results, the maximum luminance efficiency is 4.4 cd/A at 9 V of fluorescent device and 24.4 cd/A of phosphorescent device, respectively. Such an improvement in the device performance was attributed to the smoother surface and good contact between the interface of spin-coated HTL/ITO, the hole were effectively injected from the anode into the organic layer. And the deposited HTL can block excitons from diffusing into the anode to quench, thus improving the luminance efficiency and lifetime greatly.

Highlights: • The thermoeconomic comparison of regenerative RORC and BORC is investigated. • The Pareto frontier solution with bi-objective compares with the corresponding single-objective solutions. • The three-objective optimization of the RORC and BORC is studied. • The RORC owns 8.1% higher exergy efficiency and 21.1% more LEC than the BORC under the Pareto-optimal solution. - Abstract: Based on the thermoeconomic multi-objective optimization by using non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), considering both thermodynamic performance and economic factors, the thermoeconomic comparison of regenerative organic Rankine cycles (RORC) and basic organic Rankine cycles (BORC) are investigated. The effects of five key parameters including evaporator outlet temperature, condenser temperature, degree of superheat, pinch point temperature difference and degree of supercooling on the exergy efficiency and levelized energy cost (LEC) are examined. Meanwhile, the Pareto frontier solution with bi-objective for maximizing exergy efficiency and minimizing LEC is obtained and compared with the corresponding single-objective solutions. Research demonstrates that there is a significant negative correlation between thermodynamic performance and economic factors. And the optimum exergy efficiency and LEC for the Pareto-optimal solution of the RORC are 55.97%